Southeastern Minnesota Center for Independent Living (SEMCIL) provides a wide range of services to the communities they serve. This nonprofit is dedicated to creating and sustaining independence for all persons with disabilities.
When they received a grant from the MN Department of Health to be a COVID community coordinator, they needed help getting the word out.
In addition to using these funds to promote their status as a COVID resource center, they saw an opportunity to get noticed by people who could benefit from all their services. But at least 50% of the messaging had to be about COVID.
“No problem”, we said. And a digital marketing campaign was born. We created a variety of ads and managed their placement on Facebook, Google, and a premium digital display network, with all traffic driven to a special landing page.
Things got a little tricky with the digital display network advertising. We started with geography, of course, but due to privacy and ethical issues, we couldn’t target people by medical condition or disability status. Instead, we created ads that contained visual cues that signaled the audience they were trying to reach. In the end, these ads saw a higher performance rate than the benchmark and a lot of ad impressions were made in a relatively small geographical area, which should make for a positive long-term impact.
For our part, we embraced the unique challenges this campaign presented, and we enjoyed seeing it come to life for our client.


More posts
Around the Agency – May 2025 Edition
An inside look at our latest explorations and undertakings. Introducing Heinlein Law When your livelihood or health is on the line, you don’t just need a lawyer—you need [...]
The feel is in the detail
When brand strategists and designers talk about brand, you’ll often hear the phrase “look and feel.” At first glance, it’s easy to assume that “look” is just about visuals—logos, colors, [...]
Ideas to Ponder – April 2025 Edition
What happens when people lose faith in your brand? According to this article and Northwestern University, almost 40% of Americans will never again use...