Crowdsourced Holiday Lights Map Spreads More Than Holiday Cheer

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

Visiting extravagant Holiday Light Displays, complete with thousands of twinkling lights perfectly synchronized with pop and holiday classics, is a favorite pastime for many. However, most residents were only aware of displays in their own subdivisions or communities. To spread holiday cheer, Oakland County launched our first crowdsourced map to help people find and discover Holiday Light Displays around the County. Residents, businesses and communities were encouraged to submit their own light displays. GIS technology was utilized to design and create a map that accepted and displayed submissions. Then a multi-channel digital marketing campaign utilizing the crowdsourced photo and video content to promote the displays and encourage real-world visits to these spectacular shows! The Crowdsourced Holiday Lights campaign was a huge success! Our social media analytics and online engagement soared, but more importantly, it inspired thousands of residents to explore the county and spread holiday cheer through record-breaking charitable donations! All displays received increased traffic, but most notably-and heartwarming is that the four displays that collect charitable donations raised a total of $77,916.50, an increase of +150% from 2016, for local charities and to support the family of Deputy Overall who died in the line of duty on Thanksgiving 2017.