NY Council on Problem Gambling
NYCPG’s RFP called for an MWBE firm. Go Gladys, women-owned since 2017, stepped in to keep “Stronger Than You Think” performing, driving calls and form-fills to regional Problem Gambling Resource Centers.
NYCPG exists to connect people struggling with problem gambling, and the families affected by it, to help across New York State. Its fourth-quarter goal: drive more targeted traffic to nyproblemgambling.org and turn that traffic into calls and form-fill requests to the state’s regional Problem Gambling Resource Centers, with a focus on men ages 18 to 34, plus their families and loved ones.
NYCPG already had an asset worth protecting: its “Stronger Than You Think” campaign carried real recognition built over previous runs. The challenge wasn’t building something entirely new from scratch; it was refreshing proven creative enough to keep performing, while reaching people near a casino or racetrack, or actively searching for help.
THE CHALLENGE
THE GO GLADYS SOLUTION
Go Gladys edited NYCPG’s “Stronger Than You Think” videos in 0:15 and 0:30 lengths with new stock footage chosen from focus-group feedback, refreshed the static ad set with new copy and images, and built new banner ads and testimonial statics for retargeting audiences who had already engaged. As results rolled in, we produced an entirely new, more engaging video to build on that momentum.
That creative ran across Search, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, geofencing New York’s casinos and racetracks, targeting people searching for gambling help, and retargeting anyone who’d watched a video or visited the site, shifting spend toward the best performer.
NY Council on Problem Gambling Video
Go Gladys then ran new video clips as YouTube pre-roll targeted to people actively searching for gambling help, and as Facebook and Instagram video, retargeting anyone who had watched at least half with follow-up ads.
Digital Banner Ads
THE RESULTS
The campaign drove 89,287 social media clicks and 7,161 clicks from Google to the NYCPG website, supporting the goal of increasing calls and form-fills to regional PGRCs. Facebook’s click-through rate ran three to four times the platform average, and 63% of YouTube viewers watched past the halfway point of the pre-roll video, well above typical completion rates.
The refresh showed that an established public-health campaign doesn’t need rebuilding to stay effective. New footage, updated copy, and dedicated retargeting extended “Stronger Than You Think” well beyond its original run.
