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ARGONAUT SUMMER 2023 INTERNSHIP PROJECT
BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Brand Management Intern
THE GOAL
MY ROLE
Develop meaningful and culturally relevant work for Cricket that strengthens their connections with the communities they serve
THE CHALLENGE
Research
Strategic development
Audience research
Creative concept
Deck building
Empower communities by bridging the digital divide
THE SOLUTION
Cricket is going to ensure no one misses out on the digital world by pledging to donate lines and plans to 10,000 Detroit residents by 2030.
THE TEAM
Audrey Flynn (Strategy)
Jess Riporti (Art Director)
Dina Coletti (Designer)
Carolina Mangru (Content Creation)
Karas Lamb (Copywriter)
Conversations about the “digital divide” have been around since the 1990’s, but have re-emerged with increased importance. Ever since the adoption of the internet, there has been a resource gap between those who have access to the internet and those who do not. As the internet becomes more and more prevalent in our lives, the resource gap in accessibility, literacy, and functionality grows.
BACKGROUND
THE DIGITAL DIVIDE REINFORCES INJUSTICE AND DEEPENS INEQUALITY, PARTICULARLY IN MULTICULTURAL HOUSEHOLDS:
Nearly half of Americans without at-home internet are in Black and Hispanic households. (HBR, 2017)
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70% of Black and 60% of Hispanic respondents feel underprepared with digital skills that affect their employability.
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86% of jobs will require digital literacy skills by 2045, which will lock out a large majority of Black and Hispanic workers.
Missing out on the technology revolution and the natural education that came along with it means those with less digital proficiency are pushed out of the job market. Their children are similarly disadvantaged, having less access to digital tools.
POST-PANDEMIC, DISENFRANCHISED FAMILIES ARE WORSE OFF THAN EVER BEFORE.
THERE IS AN UNSUNG HERO THAT HELPS TO BRIDGE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE: SMART PHONES.
43%
of low-income households don't have at-home access to broadband
76%
of low-income adults do have a smart phone
(Pew Research, 2017)
BRAND INSIGHT
Cricket at its core champions providing equal access, but our core audience is the one most affected by this stressful divide.
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96% of Cricket Wireless customers regularly access the internet via a smartphone.
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Cricket's core audience falls into that low-income, multicultural segment that is more prominently affected by the divide (Cricket Core Segment Overview, 2023)
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OPPORTUNITY
Cricket has the opportunity to make a positive impact by alleviating the stress their audience is experiencing.
STRATEGIC APPROACH
Cricket helps put the world we deserve at our fingertips.
A world where location and income doesn't dictate your opportunities
Easy access to the tools, knowledge, and technology you need to succeed.
INSIGHT
As our world becomes more digitally reliant, internet access is no longer optional in our day-to-day lives. Those without it are left behind.
THE IDEA
Cricket is going to ensure no one misses out on the digital world by pledging to donate lines and plans to 10,000 Detroit residents by 2030.
The fear of missing out (or FOMO) strikes when you feel like the world is passing you by and things are happening without you.
But what about people who don’t have the ability to know what’s happening? The people for whom FOMO is a way of life? They are facing a bigger problem. In Detroit, the #1 most digitally divided city in America, over 200,000 are missing out on the basic necessity of reliable internet.
NOMO (No One Misses Out) fights this digital exclusion by providing cell phones with unlimited service via a 4 for $100 Give Back program. For every plan sold, Cricket will donate a device with 5G coverage and an unlimited hotspot to someone impacted by the digital divide.
NOMO LAUNCH DAY (4/5)
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Cricket will create a webpage where people can sign a personal pledge towards closing the digital divide. For every signature, Cricket will donate $1 towards the cause.
NOMO PLEDGE & WEBPAGE
A Detroit guerilla marketing launch day will kick off the 4 for 1 Giveback Program. On 4/5, a series of free activities will take place in multiple community parks. Activities will celebrate the donation of a 5th line while raising money and awareness for the digital divide.
LAUNCH EVENT IN DETROIT PARKS
Cricket field marketing managers will host the 4 vs. 4 basketball tournament. No one will miss out on the ability to play with free entry sponsored by Cricket. Cricket will donate $1 towards the digital divide for each point scored. To help spread awareness, we’ll invite players from the Detroit Pistons to play and help drive up the final score.
4 ON 4 FOR 5 BASKETBALL
Oversized game boards will be placed throughout Detroit parks with signages.
CRICKET CONNECTS 5
We’ll disperse spray chalked QR codes throughout the park for a NOMO themed scavenger hunt. Each code will showcase a different Cricket character when scanned. For each player that collects 4 characters, Cricket will donate a line to someone in need.
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Every player that completes the scavenger hunt will be given a unique promo code for $10 off their first month of Cricket and prompted to sign the NOMO pledge.
NOMO SCAVENGER HUNT
SPREADING THE MESSAGE
SOCIAL MEDIA BINGO
DIRECTIONAL OOH
IN-STORE PROMOTION
STREET QUESTIONNAIRE
DIRECT MAILERS
DOCUSERIES
TAKEAWAY
Detroit, the nation's most digitally divided city, faces a challenge actively addressed by the local government. Cricket's intervention could serve as a blueprint for aiding similar communities nationwide, benefitting both Cricket's customer base and those most affected by digital inequity.