We had to do something to appeal to a very innovative yet sceptical audience and that would provide meaning. So, we created a campaign where we helped them turn their ideas into reality. We helped them “Make think become DID.” We had a mobile app where delegates to the conference could share their ideas, have them turned into concept sketches and then order them then and there through our DID store. The best ideas became trademarked prototypes. The objective really was to provide engagement and build on brand affinity and to get people acting on their ideas.

Through the mobile app, you could tweet, vote, see other people’s design ideas and submit your own, all while earning design dollars. Once you had submitted your idea, our hub of illustrators created a concept sketch for you there and then which you received through the app. You could then use your design dollars to order it printed on any item at our real-world DID store which was at the conference. You could collect your piece by the end of the day.

Google thought we were a spam account as we received so many emails with ideas and our overworked printers actually died (681 ideas over three days). We got people talking and inspired people to create their ideas with a PR ROI of 15:1. #MakeDID trended. More importantly, we’ve helped three people make their design ideas a reality, which could change not only their lives but others’ too.