(414) 293-3261
Milwaukee, WI
Marketer in Milwaukee. I plan and run campaigns, events and partnerships, and I do a lot of the writing and design along the way.
Fluent in English and Spanish.
Case Study · Noel Indoor Light Park · 2021
Influencer & Charity Partnerships
Getting Milwaukee creators and charities behind a holiday light park nobody here had heard of yet.
Client / Brand
Role
Year
Pieces
01
Problem
A New Light Park Up Against the Ones Everyone Knew.
In 2021, Noel, a Christmas festival company from Calgary, brought its indoor light park to Milwaukee for the first time, filling the Expo Center at State Fair Park with lights, a Santa’s Village and a holiday market.
The trouble was that Milwaukee already had its holiday traditions. Families had been going to China Lights and the downtown lights for years, and they knew what they were getting. Noel was a name nobody here had heard of, and we had about six weeks between tickets going on sale and opening night to change that.
Main goal: get local influencers to Media Night and posting, so people saw real social proof about the light park online.
Along the way: partner with local charities to give back, and to show families Noel was a real, established event worth their holiday night.
02
Insight
Once People Saw It Online, They Wanted Their Own Photos.
Noel was genuinely made for pictures. The light tunnels, structures and backdrops were really cool, and once people saw them on a creator’s feed, they wanted to go take their own holiday photos there.
That only works if the post comes from someone people already follow. An ad from an out-of-town company only goes so far. And a hometown charity people already support tells families this is a real event, not a pop-up they should be wary of.
03
Idea
Two Partner Programs, Each With Its Own Promo Code.
Local creators got early access and an invite to Media Night in exchange for posting about the event. Local charities got their own promo codes, so every ticket sold through them supported their cause.
Every partner had their own code, so we could see which relationships were actually selling tickets.
04
Execution
How It Came Together.
Influencers: we figured out which local creators to approach, built the outreach list, pitched the Media Ambassador program and got creators signed up, at Media Night and posting. Local accounts like @milwaukeephoto shared exactly what Noel was about: “a million twinkling lights indoors.”
Charities: we prioritized local causes, pitched Noel’s mission and signed them up with their own promo codes. Make-A-Wish Wisconsin got $5 from every ticket sold with its code, plus a toy drive for its Wish Closet. Hunger Task Force and Love+Lift had codes too, and proceeds from Santa photos went to a different charity each day.
Community partners and giveaways: codes for Friend Like Me (who brought the costumed characters), Big Brothers Big Sisters and a Hmong New Year celebration, plus ticket giveaways with B93.3 and OnMilwaukee.
Coverage: the event also got local TV coverage.
