The leadership team for the City of Mesa is committed to being actively engaged in their well-being program challenges. With their involvement, the Beat the Boss challenge became a collaborative effort with a touch of friendly competition.
The Ask
The client requested we build from their well-received campaign. They wanted to motivate employees to compete in a friendly step challenge against their bosses. Additionally, they requested that we incorporate personalized photos into the current program design to ensure a familiar and engaging experience for participants.
The Deliverable
We created 5 emails and 1 flyer to promote the City of Mesa Beat the Boss challenge.
The Strategy
Aligning the client’s relaunch campaign with this custom challenge ensured a cohesive program look, reinforcing the brand’s message across all platforms. This strategy enhanced overall effectiveness and visual consistency. With the use of real participants’ photos, the challenge brought a feeling of familiarity. We also tweaked the copy from the previous challenge to fit within the Beat the Boss parameters.
The Results
More than half of participants were able to beat the boss!
Total participation:
- 901 opted-in for the challenge (34% of registered users)
- 796 completed (90% signed up, synced their device and accumulated a minimum total of 125,000 steps)
- 502 individuals beat the Boss! (Chris Brady, City Manager) – 63% of completers
- Total combined steps: 164,603,144
- High steppers: participants who averaged at least 9,000 steps per day (or minimum 189,000 steps total): 357 individuals (45% of completers)
Client Testimonials
Our last Beat the Boss challenge, which was facilitated through our WebMD One Portal for the third year now, was a great success, thanks in large part to the exceptional work of our app/portal and the WebMD team.
The portal and the custom emails that went out throughout the challenge played a pivotal role in keeping our participants informed, motivated, and engaged throughout the entire journey towards better health.
We are very lucky to have our City Manager participate every year. He looks forward to it just as much as the employees do. We highly recommend this challenge to anyone seeking to enhance engagement, motivation, and community spirit through leadership engagement and strategic communication.
HANNAH SCHERER
Health Educator, City of Mesa
As a result of WebMD’s efforts, participants collectively achieved an astounding 164,603,144 steps! This remarkable number not only reflects our participant’s commitment but also highlights WebMD’s ability to inspire action through effective communication.
