Unexpected Connections

Just this past Saturday night, BuckeyeThon hosted its first Fashion Show, in collaboration with Sam Edelman and Nordstrom. Both companies fully supported BuckeyeThon by providing hair and make-up artists, clothes for both the student and kid models and staff members who helped make the event run smoothly.

Both the models and kids were huge hits at the Fashion Show as they strutted their stuff down the runway in front of approximately 800 people. All of the kids who took part in the event were either kids treated at Nationwide Children's or siblings of the kids who were treated. The Fashion Show was a great way to recognize the kids for the rock stars they truly are.

For those who weren't at the event, but are tapped into social media, they got a live update of the event via twitter and Instagram as it was happening. #SamFTK was trending in the Columbus area, as event-goers sent pictures in for a live contest. This was a great way to document the entire night through testimonials and visuals.

Twitter was an excellent way to connect all audiences to the Fashion Show and our cause. Not only was the live audience able to connect with those who didn't attend the event, but they engaged the kids more fully in the event. The kids were excited to see pictures of them on the large screen that was showing the constant twitter update and they stayed more focused on the event, since they had a better understanding of the role they played with the audience.

Many of the pictures that were tweeted were coming directly from Instagram. People were constantly uploading photos from the show itself or from opportunities for them to feel like models, such as the pictures taken in front of the step and repeat backdrop.

The Fashion Show showed the importance of social media connecting audiences in unexpected ways. You never know the next person you may impact through social media.