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.

A new brand from Mars, goodnessKNOWS® Snack Squares, launched a campaign based around the idea that "trying a little goodness can lead to greatness." To bring the idea to life, random people on the street are asked to play one note on a variety of instruments including a violin, trombone and flute. While some are better than others, all of the notes were edited into a film that turned a little goodness into the embodiment of greatness – a classical symphony, “Orpheus in the Underworld” by Offenbach was created with the help of 100 participants and 23 different instruments.

With 94% of Millennials making personal improvement commitments in 2016, it’s obvious that self-improvement is a way of life for our target. But like anyone, challenges and failures along the way often leave them feeling discouraged. Our qualitative research revealed that in an effort to overcome the many hurdles, Millennials break big and daunting goals into small, more manageable steps. In doing so, Millennials understand that they aren’t struggling but rather “failing forward” and are “works in progress”. The problem is the better-for-you snack bar category responds by overpromising on health and perfection. So we decided to take a more realistic approach and turned our advertising into open tryouts with the belief that bettering ourselves begins with trying and taking that first step—no matter how small or imperfect–is a step to a better you.

The situation: our millennial audience sees itself as more of a work in progress than a work of art. While the better-for-you snack bar category responds by overpromising on health and perfection, goodnessKNOWS®, took a more realistic approach. We became partners for progress and demonstrated how breaking down bigger goals into achievable, bite-sized steps can lead to greatness.

The brief: Show our audience that every try is a step to being your best-no matter how small or imperfect.

The objective: surprise people with how much they’re capable of, even while taking their first step, in a highly shareable online film that would help raise awareness of our brand philosophy.