The Snow Angel Challenge Campaign
Did you know that Syracuse, NY is the snowiest big city in the entire United States?! According to Weather.com, Syracuse is #1 out of America’s 20 Snowiest Major Cities – accumulating 126.3 inches annually). Winter is also the hardest time of year for people living below the poverty threshold or experiencing homelessness. Heating can be very expensive, and more resources are needed to combat the cold.
What would seem like an unlikely partnership was a match made in heaven. Visit Syracuse, the region’s official destination marketing organization, teamed up with The Salvation Army in Syracuse, NY to meet the needs of those working hard to make ends meet in the aptly dubbed “Official Home of Winter.”
The Salvation Army had seen more people exposed to the hazards of poverty this winter than ever before, some of them for the first time. “There is a situation known as the “snowball effect” where problems start to get larger…and seem to pile on top of each other …until you’re trying to hold off an avalanche all by yourself,” said Jon Rogers. “If you’ve ever seen the bills pile on all at once, you know the stress it can create and the problems it can cause. Far too many people succumb to the avalanche.”
While many tend to overlook the winter season, Visit Syracuse embraced it, prompting “Winter” to move here and make Syracuse the #OfficialHomeOfWinter. “Winter is a badge of honor for Syracuse and Central New York, and it is time to tell the rest of the world all about it,” said former Visit Syracuse President David Holder. ‘The Snow Angel Challenge was a great opportunity to venture outside of traditional destination marketing and shape the visitors’ perception of those who call Syracuse home.”
The snow angel challenge invited people on social media to capture themselves making a snow angel (photo or video), share their snow angel on social media with the hashtag #SnowAngelChallenge and #OfficialHomeOfWinter, donate to The Salvation Army, and challenge your friends and family to do the same.
Embracing his new-found community, Winter accepted the #SnowAngelChallenge to reverse the snowball effect –and with the help of other residents and visitors who took the challenge, The Salvation Army was able to dig additional neighbors in need out from under the avalanche of stress and pressure.
Below are snippets of different submissions and other aspects of the campaign.
