At goodnessKNOWS® we believe that every try is a step to a better you. To prove it, we set up an array of instruments along a busy street in New Orleans, a city specifically chosen for its reputation for excellent street music, and invited the passersby to try playing a single note on an instrument they’d never played before. We then pieced those “first tries” together, the flubs and the triumphs, into a classical symphony arrangement —Jacques Offenbach’s “Orpheus in the Underworld.” The result was a musical masterpiece comprised of hundreds of single notes, one of the greatest musical compositions of all time made out of a hundred humble beginnings. Because a little good can lead us to great. We celebrate those humble origins, when that first triumph, however tiny, unlocks the motivation to greatness.

Once we’d recreated our musical masterpiece from the hundreds of first tries, we turned it into an online film that championed the full range of participants – from the humorous flubs to the unexpected triumphs. This film was seeded out online via a YouTube Trueview buy that intentionally targeted viewers who had been identified as music lovers and would be naturally interested in our content. In addition we ran :15 teaser content in paid social spaces that intrigued viewers by asking them to click through to see what happens when you get so many people to try an instrument for the first time.

Launching nationally at the end of 2015, goodnessKNOWS® had minimal awareness. But by combining a consumer insight, with a worthy message and a catchy tune, Know a Note saw incredible success. In addition to building awareness for the brand, consumers actually enjoyed the advertisement and the message it conveyed. They flocked to YouTube to express their love for the video, with nearly 99% positive sentiment in video likes, and many saying it was “the first ad that has caught my attention in a long time.” Another viewer even wrote “Finally we give the Humans what they really want, which is love and kindness… I was instantly captivated by the Humanity of this advertisement. The product is priceless now in my book. Well done everyone!” More and more people joined us in encouraging others to take a step toward greatness with the video receiving more than 115 million impressions.