Case Study: The Time Capsule

Organization: The Tech Interactive
Duration: December 2020


You get these bolts of lightning from time to time, and a memorable one came in the form of a message from a videographer. He told us it was time to open a time capsule from 1999, and was asking for details about the upcoming unveiling.

Luckily this man had a good memory, and the only surviving copy of the time capsule! The DVD he mailed to us contained several hours worth of video footage showing community members, politicians and Silicon Valley founders making predictions about future technology. We knew we had gold, but what was the best 2020 way to tell this story from 1999?

12 million

views

250,000

new followers

Our Strategy

  • Edited the old footage into 14 bite-sized TikTok videos, adding current reactions from the original time capsule participants, who we tracked down and coached on recording.

  • Leveraged the holiday season and nostalgia to connect emotionally with the audience.

  • Aimed to increase brand awareness and fan base during a time when the science center was closed to the public.

Our Takeaways

  • Emotional storytelling resonates with everyone. The dream is to find content that connects deeply with people, and authentically capture that connection.

  • Multi-part series on TikTok can be an effective strategy for encouraging account follows.

  • Timely release of content can significantly amplify its impact and reach. This goes far beyond posting at the right time or day, look for seasonal events or mood shifts that may fit with a large project.

“CBS This Morning reached out after seeing the clips and featured us in a coveted time slot. It’s the kind of top-tier hit PR professionals rave about to their boards, especially with social media engagement metrics to back it up.”

Marika Krause

Former Associate Director of Public Relations,
The Tech Interactive