Afro Nation Detroit 2023 & 2024
In 2023, Bedrock brought the inaugural Afro Nation Detroit to the Douglass Site in the Brush Park neighborhood. As the primary sponsor, Bedrock led all aspects of the music festival, including marketing and communications.
To support the overall goals of raising awareness of the two-day music festival, increasing ticket sales and amplifying the one-of-a-kind experiences, I collaborated with internal teams and external partners to create content that helped bring 60,000 people to Afro Nation Detroit 2023 and 2024, collectively.
The social media communications and marketing plan included announcement posts, Detroit significance, ticket sales and headliner/performers. I was also able to connect with a local DJ who was performing and create a Spotify ad promoting the festival.
Bedrock Detroit End of Year Video Series
At Bedrock Detroit, I led the development of End of Year videos to highlight some of the biggest milestones, community partnerships, and announcements that happened that year.
The video series was posted the last week of the year, with a full video being posted on December 31.
Book Tower Facebook Ad
To help increase residential occupancy at Book Tower, I collaborated with our internal teams to create a Meta ad that took a more visual storytelling approach. I identified key messages and impactful visuals to create a 6-part video ad on Meta.
Wilkinson Tree Farm
The Wilkinson Tree Farm celebrated their soft opening in 2024 and I had the opportunity to lead their social media marketing and communications plan—running from November 1 – January 1.
By using Facebook and Instagram, their content reached nearly 26,000 followers and was viewed nearly 220,000 times.
I created a Facebook event with graphics to help track community interest and provide information about the farm’s soft opening. During the soft opening, I focused on informative Instagram stories, gave a tour of the tree farm, and gathered content to give an inside look of the Christmas Cottage and all the holiday gift-giving products found inside.
To help build a memorable experience, I took outdoor family photos, added the farm logo for brand awareness, and emailed to each family so they could have another Wilkinson Tree Farm gift.
Michigan Minds Podcast & Conversations For Change
The Michigan Minds Podcast is designed to highlight the faculty research being conducted at the University of Michigan. I strategically partnered with faculty, staff, and researcher to increase visibility on important topics, including writing interview questions, recording the episode, and designing graphics for social media promotion.
During the Black Lives Matter movement, we created a student series to have open conversations about unique Wolverine experiences.
2021 Spring Commencement
Graphics play an important role when promoting commencement on social media. A solid commencement strategy includes all varieties of digital media.
UMSocial GIPHY
Using custom GIPHY stickers is an incredible way to engage with your social media followers and continue to enhance your brand awareness and recognition.
While at UMSocial, I led the GIPHY sticker strategy which focused on video content, custom-designed stickers, and inclusive messaging.
These GIPHY stickers were used to support the University of Michigan social media content, engage with followers, and provide branded content for the UMich online community.
I incorporated a GIPHY strategy at Bedrock Detroit to help support the marketing and communication efforts of our activations, community initiatives, and projects.
University of Michigan YouTube Series
Theme communities are student programs offered to explore and experience college life with other students who share similar interests. I partnered with admissions, student affairs, and UMich students to create a video series that highlighted these unique opportunities.
Instagram Grid Strategies
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many units, departments, and schools/colleges at the University of Michigan faced challenges when creating content for Instagram, given the platform’s visual nature and the absence of students on campus.
To overcome this, I took a creative approach to the feed. By using a grid-pattern strategy, I was able to design and implement various grids that helped showcase and enhance the student experience at UMSI, even during such a challenging time.
Social Media Word of the Week Motion Graphics
Partnering with the University of Michigan School of Information, I created a series of motion graphics to promote internet/social media common terms.
Events
To help increase event awareness and attendance, graphics are a great way to promote events on social media.
Penn State Greater Allegheny Giving Tuesday
I designed motion graphics for the annual Giving Tuesday campaign. With the support of these graphics, the campus exceeded their fundraising goals.
Justin Varney's Portfolio 