Background
The American Kidney Fund (AKF), a leading organization fighting kidney disease in the U.S., sought to reinforce its message, increase awareness of its impact, and encourage donations through its social media platforms. To achieve this, AKF envisioned a campaign that was eye-opening, positive, and confident.
The primary audience for this campaign was individuals aged 40 and older, with a focus on women, as they were the most engaged demographic on AKF’s platforms. The organization aimed for imagery that felt hopeful and serene yet energetic. Moving away from a corporate look was a key priority, meaning a shift from cold blues toward a brighter, warmer color palette. Additionally, data points from AKF’s annual report called for a dynamic design approach—one that could flexibly accommodate varying amounts of text while maintaining the integrity of the original concept.
The Challenge
The process began with a discovery call where we gathered insights from the digital marketing lead, compiling a creative brief that outlined past digital engagement strategies, campaign goals, target audience insights, and potential sensitivities.
We approached conceptualization through a mood board, exploring three distinct perspectives:
Asserting Impact – A bold, confident approach showcasing AKF’s achievements.
Removing Worries – A reassuring, calming narrative for those affected by kidney disease.
Unconditional Care – A warm, human-centered approach emphasizing support and compassion.
The client selected the “Asserting Impact” concept, opting for a straightforward yet bold design. This approach featured strong typographic treatments set against high-contrast blue and purple backgrounds, incorporating the phrase “I Kid You Not.” This wordplay on “kidney” created a memorable hook while reinforcing AKF’s impact. The design also visually referenced the human kidneys by splitting backgrounds into two distinct colors. To create variation across social media feeds, these dual backgrounds were split in multiple ways—vertically, horizontally, and diagonally. The bold “I Kid You Not” headline effectively highlighted key data points, making the organization’s impact clear and compelling.
The Outcome
The final campaign delivered a total of 60 images in various sizes, optimized for both organic social media posts and paid advertising. As part of our strategic approach, we also provided brief guidelines to ensure consistency in future campaign assets.
The campaign was well received, as reflected in engagement metrics and positive feedback from AKF’s partners and executive leadership.
“We loved the concept and look and feel, and the campaign was really well received as measured by engagement and other feedback, including feedback from our partners and VPs.”
