There are no restrictions around branded entertainment within the VOIP category and markets for this campaign. The majority of competitors utilize local celebrities to drive interest in branded entertainment or focus on human-interest stories with little integration of the brand proposition or features. For the "Stay Together" campaign, we focused on real people for whom Skype made a difference, rather than borrowing interest from celebrities, in order to share stories that were both universally relevant and deeply personal. This sense of reality and complete product integration in the story ensures that as people interact with the content they not only contribute to its distribution but also add to the story itself.

The "impossible" portraits were the visual device used to pull people into the stories. But it was the stories, of real people separated from friends and loved ones by thousands of miles, that truly embody what "Stay Together" is all about. Whether it was a zookeeper who missed the animals she cared for in Australia, or two girls who had been friends on Skype for years but had never met, we challenged the concept of family. And in the end, the portraits that were created will be keepsakes that last a lifetime.

Originally targeted the US, "Stay Together" went global as a result of buzz and press. The success of the campaign was driven by, audience engagement and content creation. The campaign saw 97% positive sentiment driving 6.2MM social engagements (65x greater than planned) and 42MM video views (22x the views planned) all resulting from campaign virality. 1,000+ consumers shared their "Stay Together" stories.

The campaign achieved the primary objectives with a significant lift in brand preference and perception as an “everyday communication tool”. Usage intent increased and 300,000+ Skype app downloads, sign-ups or purchases resulting from the campaign (30% above goal) .