Akonadi Foundation: “We Love Oakland” Storytelling Campaign
Akonadi Foundation: “We Love Oakland” Storytelling Campaign
“Oakland is such a beautiful home for everyone. It allows us to think boldly and to act in ways that we are always in solidarity with others.” – Peggy Saika
Our beloved hometown of Oakland faces negative narratives, especially around community safety, that overshadows the city’s culture, activism, and diversity. Akonadi, a 25-year funder and convener in the Bay Area, sought a proactive way to counter the negative narratives and uplift the Town.
Change Consulting partnered with Akonadi to design and execute “We Love Oakland,” a storytelling campaign that is all about celebrating the vibrant and joyful culture, relationships, and activism that rises above the discourse around safety and community in Oakland. The campaign focused on reaching Oakland residents, families, creatives, community ambassadors, nonprofits and organizers, local businesses, elected officials, and regional philanthropy.
We developed a unifying story frame and tone – celebratory, honest, and imaginative – to guide all content and calls to action. From artists to organizers, Oakland is full of incredible people shaping the future of our city. “We Love Oakland” featured current residents who opened up about their personal journeys and visions for a thriving Oakland and how the Town’s unique culture and history inspires their work. We then worked with our creative partners, inBloom Films and William Ramirez, to bring the campaign to life.
From June to December 2024, we developed the following content across channels: monthly blog series with four in-depth profiles of Oakland leaders from various sectors, each pairing narrative essays with original photography; original photography including portraits and place-based images for use across web, social, and event materials; four 2-minute video shorts blending Oakland visuals, first-person narration, and community work; a dedicated campaign hub linked from Akonadi’s website to house stories, videos, and social conversation; and organic and paid social media.
Results and Impact
“We Love Oakland” had a strong impact across email, video, web, and social channels, successfully engaging Akonadi’s existing community and reaching new audiences. Email performance was especially impressive with an average open rate of 41.5%, far exceeding the industry benchmark of 20–25%. The campaign’s microsite drew more than 1,500 total views, a foundation of organic engagement that can be further grown through regular content updates, strategic partnerships, and search engine optimization. Social media also performed well, particularly on Instagram. Paid social ads effectively amplified reach, with eight ads generating nearly 40,000 impressions over seven days, achieving a 1.95% CTR, double the Meta average of 0.9%.
The campaign has also received numerous awards, including Silver in the Arts & Culture category, and Bronze in the Social Impact category for the Telly Awards, as well as a Silver Davey Award for creative excellence.
Thank you to project lead Nesima Aberra, Kiah Albritton, and Nicole Carroll for their leadership in managing this important work. Akonadi will continue leveraging the “We Love Oakland” platform to share stories that elevate grantees and community members.
Whether you’re ready to launch a new campaign, increase your visibility, grow your digital footprint, or take your content to the next level – we’re here to help. Drop us a note at hello@change-llc.com.