The Brief
To kick-off the launch of the ‘High Five for Kids’ campaign, the United Way of the Wabash Valley wanted a fresh yet playful way to engage the Terre Haute community and raise awareness. The campaign aimed to generate enthusiasm, advocacy and funds to provide pre-kindergarten children with books before entering school. With this goal in mind, the non-profit organization wanted to focus media attention on literacy in early childhood development through attempting a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title.
The Solution
In keeping with the “high-five” campaign theme, the organization decided to attempt the Longest “high-five” chain. Participants from all over Wabash Valley attended the event including neighbors and students at Indiana State University, making it a true community effort. Mayor Duke Bennett started the high-five chain which was successfully completed 30 minutes later.
The record attempt became a viral success and was featured in news segments in Boston, Orlando and Las Vegas as well as the smaller markets such as Fresno, California; Billings, Montana; Bangor, Maine; Sioux City, Iowa, and Toronto, Canada.