How HRC's Marriage Equality Campaign Put People First

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By Meg Wagner2013-09-24 20:00:51 UTC

The numbers behind the Human Rights Campaign's viral red marriage equality campaign are impressive.

In March, during the Supreme Court's two hearings on same sex marriage, HRC inspired a 120% increase in Facebook profile picture changes when it asked marriage equality supporters to adopt the red equal sign.

The campaign also broke Twitter's record for highest engagement on a tweet, Anastasia Khoo, HRC's director of marketing, said on stage at Social Good Summit on Monday.

But ultimately, the campaign wasn't just about the numbers, Khoo said. The real victories came in the form of stories, relationships and people.

Khoo said one of her favorite stories spurred by the HRC campaign came from a gay soldier from Arkansas. Before the Supreme Court hearings, the soldier had not spoken to his mother since he came out to her — and "it didn't go so well."

But when HRC launched the campaign, the soldier's mom changed her profile picture to the red logo with the following caption: "As Justin's mom I may not like his lifestyle choice, but he knows he has my support in whatever he does. We may not agree on his choices, but he is still my baby and you don't mess with one of my cubs. Love you so much Justin and I am proud of who you are."

"If it was just this one person, then it would have been a success for me," Khoo said.

The campaign started on March 25, and the idea immediately went viral. HRC saw a 600% increase in web traffic overnight the first day.

Soon, the parodies showed up. Facebook users altered the red logo with everything from strips of bacon to vampire teeth. Grumpy Cat even made a superimposed appearance.

"When there's a meme of your meme, you've done something right," she said.

Khoo said HRC celebrated the unique takes on its logo.

"It was so amazing to see the creativity that came out," she said.

Part of the reason the campaign was so successful was the fact that it was unbranded, she said. When the movement and the people — not the organization — come first, individuals identify with the cause.

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