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For most people in San Francisco, it started off as any other Friday: the morning commute, a busy workday, and the glimmer of hope for the weekend to come. But for 5-year old Miles, this was the day he had been waiting months for – the day his one true wish would be granted. He would finally don the cowl, and by the end of that Friday, nearly 2 billion people came together to light the bat signal and cheer for their new favorite hero:

Nana-Nana-Nana-Nana BATKID!

It may have won the respect of marketing professionals and industry awards, but Batkid is my dream campaign on a more personal level. I am a Make-A-Wish volunteer and have seen firsthand how a wish can impact a child, family and community. Until Batkid I have only experienced this impact on a smaller, local scale, but this super campaign demonstrated how social media can expand the definition of community exponentially.

So what does it take to transform San Francisco into Gotham City for a budding superhero? Take one feel-good story, a little bit of creativity and one heck of a social media campaign, and you have a recipe for a heart-warming story that can inspire the world.

The campaign that helped Batkid go viral did not happen overnight, but in true super hero fashion, Make-A-Wish did not have all the time in the world either. They tapped Clever Girls Collective, and in less than two weeks a social media campaign was strategized and implemented inviting people to cheer on Batkid whether at City Hall or through social media. Even with its tight deadline, the results were pretty impressive. How impressive? KAPOW!

More than 16,000 RSVPs on the Make-A-Wish website to volunteer for the day
20,000 people gather at City Hall to cheer on Batkid
#SFBatkid or #Batkid are tweeted more than 550,000 times
Batkid reaches international audiences in 117 countries
Approximately 1,840,577,475 social impressions garnered

The most rewarding aspect of any effective marketing campaign typically is seeing positive results. In the case of Miles the Batkid, no amount of media impressions could compare to becoming the not-so-dark knight. This 5-year-old probably does not have a Twitter account and was not likely awake to see himself on “Good Morning America,” but that did not make capturing the Riddler AND the Penguin with Batman any less awesome.

Why One Kid’s Wish is My Dream Campaign