
0
of the audience were motivated to get involved with social causes
0
of Black audiences felt the content was extremely/very important to them
0
points in positive brand perception shift with community and culture
Challenge
2020 was a turning point for brands and agencies. A convergence of health and social crises forced brands to reevaluate their position on how to respond to issues and use their influence for good. We set out to disrupt and address the inequities in the advertising supply chain with a first-ever program exclusively created and distributed by Black-owned partners.
Solution
More Than That with Gia Peppers is a first-of-its-kind radio show and podcast with a 100% Black-owned supply chain. Hosted by Gia Peppers, a leading journalist and on-air talent, and featuring guests who connect to each episode’s theme, we discuss everything from entertainment, finances, wellness, family, health and more. Season 1 launched during Black History Month in 2021 and included 9 episodes, followed by a 2-episode Juneteenth special and a 1-episode Pride special produced in collaboration with Pride.com. Season 2 aired in February 2022 and ran for 10 episodes, with a 2-episode Juneteenth special.
With the support of brands including General Motors, Procter & Gamble, Kroger and Mastercard, we have aired two very successful seasons of the show on Black-owned radio stations across the US. The shared values of our sponsors, specifically around DE&I and building on their trajectory towards a demonstrated commitment became the catalysts for positive change that we mirrored in the writing and composition of More Than That. Each episode is structured with a custom intro, interstitial, and outro that we co-write with our sponsors to align with their shared values and the values of the Black community.
From a production standpoint, this initiative encapsulated a new model for inspiring and authentic storytelling with over 95% of the creative and production teams (40+ collaborators) identifying as BIPOC. This includes all the writers, directors, producers, composers, and researchers in addition to our host, Gia, and all guests. Additionally, any third-party production companies that were brought onto the show were minority-owned.
Regarding our distribution, the National Association of Black-Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) and several member CEOs lent their support and provided guidance to ensure that the series was authentic and meaningful for a sustained impact. All content ran consistently across stations owned or managed by different Black-owned networks including Radio One, American Urban Radio Networks, and Spotset (NABOB’s owned-network). We also supported a new, small Black women-owned network, Café Mocha Radio in Season 2. The show was simulcasted across all streaming and podcast platforms.
To further our engagement with the More Than That audience, we launched social platforms in 2022. Across Instagram, TikTok and Twitter, we were able to further engage with our audience, drive listenership, provide behind-the-scenes content, and help each viewer learn something new.
Planning further into 2023, we are focusing on Season 3 of our radio show and are developing a More Than That video series and a Spanish-language version of the show for the Hispanic/Latinx audiences.
Results
The second season was a resounding success, building on our momentum from Season 1, with sponsorship messages (:30s) performing above radio industry norms and, at times, outperforming 95% of radio ads (:30s-:60s), up 5% from Season 1’s performance. The sponsorship messages saw +25 points in consideration and +18 points in differentiation pre versus post. This exceeded all expectations, particularly given that we were pioneering new ground.
- Over 750MM impressions delivered across both seasons
- $8MM invested into diverse-owned businesses across both seasons
- Brand’s commitment to DEI, purpose and people, +34 points (up 9 pts From Season 1)
- Doing the right thing, +32
- Stands up for social justice & equity, +33
- Cares about people & communities, +28 (up 3 pts from Season 1)
- Respects my community & culture, +34 (up 9 pts from Season 1)
- Brand affinity, +9 points
- Brand innovation, +10 points
- Brand esteem (proud to be associated with), +13 points (up 2pts from Season 1)
- Brand Premium (willing to pay more for), +3 points
Additional metrics:
- 52% of the audience was motivated to get involved with social causes
- 62% of Black audiences felt the content was extremely/very important to them
The increases in attitudinal metrics were statistically significant and confirmed that a non-traditional approach could achieve similar, if not better, results than a traditional ad approach.
“P&G is joining forces to create content for good and help address systemic inequalities in the creative and media supply chain. Being part of the development of ‘More Than That with Gia Peppers’ enables both—creating content through under-represented voices and stories that deepens understanding of the Black experience in America—and increasing direct investment in minority-owned and operated companies which ultimately helps close income and wealth gaps.”
Marc Pritchard, Chief Brand Officer, Procter & Gamble
U.S. Pharmaceutical Manufacturer
From a diagnostic and descriptive analysis approach, the solution evolved into a robust advanced analytics omnichannel measurement framework that was proactive and prescriptive in nature.
Suraksha Ka Teeka
As per the Global Fund 2020-22 Report, Malaria is one of the major public health problems in India. With children 5 times more vulnerable to this disease, their cases were witnessing a sudden ou...
The Everything Book
A pioneer in modern education, The Everything Book is an internet signal aggregator. It houses a cloud-based AI packet broadcaster and assembler service that combines weak 2G mobile networks aro...
Foot Locker
Foot Locker is always looking for new ways to innovate and improve the shopping experience for its customers. As a result, the brand asked dentsu gaming to integrate a new augmented reality feat...
DENTSU CREATIVE China: KFC Re:Store
KFC is the largest and most successful restaurant brand in China. Launched in 1987, the brand has grown to encompass over 9,000 stores in 1,600 cities. A steady stream of innovation has kept the...
More Than That with Gia Peppers
Created for Black audiences and produced and distributed exclusively by underrepresented businesses, the series aims to address the inequities in the advertising supply chain by providing a plat...
The story of Siemens and a town’s energy blueprint for th...
Sustainable World
Isobar: The Perfect Candidate – Australian Futures Project
Working with Australian Futures Project, we shifted Australia’s national conversation during election time.
dentsumcgarrybowen: In Love We Trust with Sinyi Realty
Together with dentsumcgarrybowen Taiwan, Sinyi worked to produce “In Love We Trust”, a short film to encourage young Taiwanese to overcome their fear of commitment and to seeking lasting love an...
1st for Women: 16 Days of Light
Diversity and inclusion
FoxP2: First For Women
Fearless
Facing fear to empower women
Merdeka LHS: The Coca-Cola Company
For The Human Race
"For The Human Race" celebrates resilience and stubborn optimism by showcasing true stories of real people bringing hope to humanity during the COVID-19 crisis.
ViiV Healthcare: Delivering Unique Customer Journeys
Disrupting online search results to raise awareness about...
SDG3 target 3.4: by 2030, reduce by one third premature m...
India is the suicide capital of the world. Around 135,000 Indians commit suicide every year, with suicide ranking as the most common cause of death for the age group of 15–39 years. Despite thes...
The Story Lab: Street Stars
Our challenge was clear: To show our clients and media owners that we can attract and therefore monetise the attention of an extremely valuable audience.
FoxP2: IndieFin
For a digital start-up to compete, IndieFin had to rise above the noise and attract leads in a category people usually dread. IndieFin had the tough task of getting a young, digital-savvy genera...
Isobar: Volkswagen
Road Tales
Isobar created a location-based interactive audiobook to transform car rides into magical journeys
Pre-register for our 2019 Digital Society Index
dentsumcgarrybowen: Project Revoice
Activating silent voices with a program to digitally clone ALS patients’ voices so they can keep communicating as themselves even after they can no longer physically speak.
Vizeum: GhanaPostGPS
Generating conversion for GhanaPostGPS through early engagement, awareness and measurable customer actions.