COVID Reopening YMCA Video Series

[ about ]

Outdoor fitness in 2020 was a welcome respite following weeks of quarantine. However, the New Jersey state and local municipal departments of health’s mandated processes understandably piled confusion and frustration on top of eagerness to participate. The Y’s in-house team was tasked with creating and deploying a solution to support frontline staff and enhance member satisfaction during a period of substantial operational challenges.

APPROACH & OUTCOME

The creative team opted to bring clarity and comfort to a complicated and ever-changing situation by showing—not just telling—members how to get back to the activities they missed the most. Step-by-step instructions were crafted for each of Greater Somerset County YMCA’s four facilities, showing members how to participate in outdoor fitness, appointment-based lap swimming, and appointment-based indoor fitness activities. Instructions for each of the Y’s two on-site child care centers operating at the time were also created. The team visited each facility and filmed precisely where members needed to go, what to do, and who to look for, among other details. Animations and informative text kept the content bright and engaging throughout.

The Y’s in-house creative team ultimately created and shared 68 original, on-demand educational, fitness, and informational videos to support the community and members. The video content was practical and heavily utilized in audience-specific communications deployed via email, social media, text messaging, and the Y’s website in a new “What to Expect” section that helped members and the general public navigate how to access YMCA services at their local branch.

MEDIA COVERAGE

• “NJ gyms pivot to outdoor exercise classes as the summer of covid 19 heats up” – NJ.com

MY ROLE

Messaging Strategy & Project Lead

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & TOOLS

• Strategy: Audience Segmentation | Brand Messaging | Brand Stewardship | Communications Strategy | Crisis Communications | Cross-Functional Collaboration | Customer-Centric Mindset | External Communications | Nonprofit Marketing | Organic Social Media | Reputation Management | Stakeholder Management
• Creative & Production: Copywriting | Creative Problem-Solving | Creative Services Management | Creative Team Leadership | Email Marketing | Storyboarding
• Tools: Google Docs | Google Sheets