We identified a common data-driven insight: many people had a pivotal story about a moment in their lives when they chose to follow a certain, specific path. These stories were badges of honor — sources of pride — and marked moments they could look back on and credit as leading to their current success.

Our innovation was to reimagine existing research techniques in a new way: blending traditional primary research techniques such as social listening and focus group transcripts, while also decoding and correlating emotional signals. And so our strategy was to find and share real stories, capture them in the way they deserved, and let them serve as a tribute from the brand to its audience.

We took an honest approach rooted in emotional storytelling by creating "Why This Road?" – a three-part documentary series published on the Vimeo platform.

Each video — co-created with a unique Vimeo filmmaker — followed three very different life stories. Our heroes included a banker turned extreme athlete, a chef whose dreams of celebrity had crumbled, and a photographer whose life-threatening disease had changed everything.

We and the brand identified Vimeo as a premier partner for filmed storytelling. Over a three-week period, we partnered in a global search for the most compelling protagonists and the brilliant filmmakers who could best bring these stories to life. After immersing ourselves in hundreds of unique, life-changing adventures, we selected three that worked well together as symbols of the ‘Own Your Tomorrow’ brand platform. Production of the films took place over a six-week period and spanned across Boston, London, New York…and the Seven Summits.

Upon completion, each film was published on Vimeo, the pre-eminent platform for filmed storytelling. A brand page was successfully launched to specifically showcase the power of all three films, with amplification on brand native and owned channels only.

In a world where media claims that “organic reach is dead”, the series generated over 37+ million organic impressions in an 8-week period over Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo and Virool. Specifically, it generated 10+ million organic impressions, 1.5+ million organic viewers on Vimeo, becoming the most successful branded content series in Vimeo history and have already had the first two films selected as a Vimeo “Staff Picks” — a distinction saved only for the most authentic and compelling films.

We also measured brand lift of the Facebook videos, demonstrating that the series drove a +140% increase in brand recall, a +15% increase in uniqueness and a +4.5% increase in affinity. Not only was a great story told, but it made a memorable impact on the viewer, and was able to distinguish Charles Schwab from its competitive set.