Reminding New York's invisible caregivers that they are not alone
Alerta developed a full campaign centered on a street activation. We placed a gashapon machine, a capsule vending machine, in the streets of New York, inviting passersby to turn the knob, open a capsule, and find a personal message and a small gift inside. The activation creat...
The Challenge
Millions of New Yorkers serve as caregivers every day (helping aging parents, spouses, or other family members) without ever recognizing themselves as caregivers or knowing that support and resources are available to them. AARP needed a campaign that made caregiving visible, validated the experience, and connected this hidden community with tools designed to help them. The message had to feel warm and human, not institutional.
The Solution
Alerta developed a full campaign centered on a street activation. We placed a gashapon machine, a capsule vending machine, in the streets of New York, inviting passersby to turn the knob, open a capsule, and find a personal message and a small gift inside. The activation created real moments of surprise and connection, making caregiving a visible, shared conversation in the middle of a New York street. The campaign extended to social media through TikTok and Instagram Reels, featuring two carefully selected influencers whose connection to caregiving was authentic and personal, supported by social video and static assets across all platforms.
Campaign Content
Static Content · Social & Print
How We Did It
The gashapon street activation
We placed a capsule vending machine on a New York street. Each capsule contained a personal message and a small gift. The activation turned caregiving into a visible, human moment in a public space, creating organic content and genuine emotional connections with passersby.
Influencer selection
Authenticity first. We activated two influencers with direct personal connections to caregiving. Matt (@thededicatedcaregiver, 338K followers) brought high reach and community credibility. Dr. Tina (@enlightenedcaregiver) delivered an exceptional 16.6% engagement rate on Reels, proving that niche, deeply relevant creators drive the most meaningful audience response.
Social content across all platforms
Campaign social video, TikTok Reels, Instagram Stories, and static assets extended the street activation into digital channels, keeping the message in front of the audience beyond the activation day.
Key learning
The strongest result came from creators whose connection to the mission felt natural rather than sponsored. Over-branded content in Stories reduced organic reach, reinforcing Alerta's approach of prioritizing native-feeling content that protects the creator's credibility while serving the campaign goal.
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to a wider America?
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