Google + CSN:
Scam Spotter

One of Google’s Legal teams asked us to meaningfully help seniors by highlighting how to avoid scams. We worked with the Cybercrime Support Network and Upperquad to build a mobile-first site with an innovative message — in very large text.

The Task.

Scams have been on the rise in the US, with over $1.9 billion in losses reported to the FTC in 2019. One of Google’s Legal teams saw an opportunity to do more to help educate consumers on common scam pitfalls and reached out to us to figure out how to best help seniors (who tend to incur the greatest financial losses from scams).

Starting with dual research into scammers’ behavior and senior-friendly design, we noted that existing resources were designed for the general population and did not take into account how seniors interacted with online content.  With this in mind, we arrived on a content strategy laser-focused on quality over quantity, and engagement over exhaustiveness. We brought in our friends at Upperquad to build a mobile-first, super-senior-friendly site, and we co-evolved the creative ideas to include an engaging quiz and some playful, retro-inspired illustrations. We also landed on a new, memorable set of Three Golden Rules: Slow it down, Spot check, and Stop! Don’t send - an approach that Google’s partner, the nonprofit Cybercrime Support Network, validated and supported.

We drove or supported just about every component of the launch, including drafting the blog post authored by internet co-founder Vint Cerf, providing a communications framework and targeting suggestions to PR, and even a novel Facebook + LinkedIn (yes!) strategy to better address our target audience of seniors.

The Results.

Despite launching in a tremendously turbulent news moment, we got well over a dozen positive press articles and TV hits, and a surprisingly international audience despite our US-only focus. But more importantly to us as an agency, our client won’t stop telling us how happy they are with how it landed. We’re already eager for the next phase.