MailChimp said “hi” to the world in a way that felt right to them: by having fun with their name.

We created a massive, integrated search campaign featuring nine mysterious projects with names that all kind of sound like “MailChimp.” Using mispronunciation as our creative device, we made cultural activations for almost every type of media you can imagine—new brands and products, pop stars, hairstyles, instruments, nail art, beauty trends, cinematic short films, OOH, influencers, editorials, digital and social media.

These seemingly disparate executions were all part of a highly orchestrated web of digital and physical content, connected by mispronunciation and design.

We knew that if we made something interesting enough, people would want to know more about it.

So they’d search for it. And then we’d tell them a little story about a company that believes doing things your way isn’t just more fun, it’s good business.

We created MailShrimp, JailBlimp and KaleLimp—three cinematic short films that entertained audiences in hundreds of theaters nationwide.

We invented FailChips, a real brand of crushed potato chips that flew off the shelves in bars, bodegas and sandwich shops everywhere.

We formed VeilHymn, a musical collaboration between Dev Hynes and Bryndon Cook that spawned a hit single (on SoundCloud and Spotify) with an interactive music video (on Vevo and YouTube) that received praise from Rolling Stone.

We started the MaleCrimp, a hair trend so ridiculous it was covered by major fashion magazines, including Vogue Paris.

We made WhaleSynth, a real, digital instrument made entirely out of whale noises.

We launched NailChamp, an online battle in which hundreds of thousands voted for the world’s top nail art artists.

We introduced SnailPrimp, an anti-aging beauty treatment that had LA beauty bloggers covering their faces with snail slime at the Ace Hotel.

We surveyed 1,000 people in our specific target audience (entrepreneurs, small businesses, creative class), and, like a secret code, our campaign spoke to them loud and clear.

Those who saw the campaign showed higher awareness (+20%) and overall affinity (+18%) for MailChimp than those who did not see the campaign, 85% had something positive to say about it and 70% said it gave them a better sense for MailChimp’s personality.

Those who saw the campaign showed lifts in key brand attributes over those who didn’t see it, saying MailChimp is a brand that’s inspiring (+25%), authentic (+19%), for me (+14%), innovative (+13%), very different from others in the category (+13%).

The campaign garnered 775.3M total impressions, 3.8M organic searches for MailChimp and campaign names, and delivered 29% more visits to MailChimp’s digital ecosystem than anticipated. With $3.52M earned media value, we succeeded in creating culture rather than chasing it.

We needed to reach ambitious entrepreneurs and the influential creative class that often recommends MailChimp to them. These entrepreneurs’ success hinges on standing out in a unique way. However, it’s a challenge for them to hold onto that authenticity and stay true to themselves as they grow.

That’s why MailChimp’s purpose is to give entrepreneurs the power to grow without compromise. MailChimp arms them with the means to differentiate themselves through digital tools, encouragement and, most importantly, setting an example in the world themselves.

This campaign aimed to show that putting yourself out there in a bold, original way is what sets you apart in a cluttered market. And that being true to yourself makes all the difference when it comes to building your business and connecting with the right audience. Our approach was to embody the behavior we wish to engender in our users.

MailChimp is a leading email marketing platform, helping over 15 million users express themselves and connect their message to the right people at the right time. They’ve grown organically while maintaining their independence, authenticity and playful personality.

With ambitious plans in 2017 to evolve from email marketing into multichannel marketing, the potential for growth with new users is huge. For their first big, integrated brand campaign, the objective was to say “hello” to the world in a much bigger, yet very “MailChimp” way, introducing new people to the brand and building affinity along the way.

In doing so, MailChimp wanted to reflect their own point of view on marketing. Rather than beat their chest or shout their name, they wanted to put things out in the world that were additive, creative and showed people who they are. MailChimp believes that's a better way to connect with the right people.