In early October, Futures Without Violence and Macy’s – with the help of Federated Media (and its content production abilities) and Fullscreen (and its roster of talent) – launched the RESPECT! Challenge campaign, a national social media contest that asks participants to promote the people that have taught them respect.
This is the third year of the campaign, and for this year’s video Futures Without Violence and Macy’s wanted to target millenials – including high school and college students. The result is two of YouTube’s top performing artists, Christian Collins and Diamond White, covering Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” and discussing who taught them respect. Between them, Christian and Diamond have over 1 million YouTube subscribers and more than three million Facebook fans.
“What motivated me to get involved is the great cause it represents,” White told Lost Remote. “Domestic violence is something a few of the women in my family went through and conquered so it’s something that means a lot to me.”
Brands continue to tap influencers on diverse platforms – from YouTube talent to Snapchat artists – to reach millennials. The power of these paltforms to effect change is not lost on White:
“Social media and YouTube are incredible and great for getting everyone together to support great causes,” White told us. “Everyone uses them to become involved in the communities we create through the internet. We’re sort of like an army and when you put an army together we can do anything.”
From now through November 14, the campaign video will live on Futures’ website, Facebook, and YouTube page, as well as Macy’s website, and the YouTube pages Collins and White.