THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists!

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Strategy & Engagement

See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Brand Partnership See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Call to Action See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Community Management See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Creative Use of Technology See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> CTV/OTT See previous winners and honorees for Insights and Trends here.</a> <a href=https://shortyawards.com/17th/"https://shortyawards.com/category/16th/data-visualization">See previous winners and honorees for Data Visualization here.</a>"> Data & Insights See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Earned Media See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Event & Experiential See previous winners and honorees here.</a>""> Gamification See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Humor See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Innovative Media Buying Strategy See previous winners and honorees here.</a>""> Integration with Traditional Media See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Internal Communications See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> LGBTQ Community Engagement See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Micro-Influencer Strategy See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Multicultural Community Engagement See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Music & Dance See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> On a Shoestring See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Organic Promotion See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Paid & Amplification See previous winner and honorees here.</a>"> Physical and Digital Convergence See previous winner and honorees here.</a>"> Public Service Announcement See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Real Time Response See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> SEO & SEM See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Social Commerce See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Storytelling

Level Up Your Smile Campaign

Entered in Brand Awareness Campaign

Objective

Braces aren’t just orthodontics—they’re a statement. Level Up Your Smile made metal braces aspirational, driving more bookings for traditional braces alongside Invisalign by tapping into what kids want and what parents remember.The primary compeititor for Level was using bold, cute animals and a bright color palette, but minimal storytelling in the their marketing efforts, we decided a narrative based campaign would create momentum for the client.  

Braces have become a status symbol, and we leaned in. To hook kids, we brought in high-energy gaming culture. To hook parents, we infused the campaign with retro, pixel-art nostalgia—reminding them of the games they grew up with while making braces feel like an exciting rite of passage for their own kids.

A cinematic journey—falling into a video game, battling the “braces dragon,” and leveling up—turned orthodontics into an adventure. At the center? A girl getting metal braces, proving they’re not just functional but a bold, confident style choice.

This campaign didn’t just sell straight teeth. It sold the feeling of stepping into something bigger—an experience, a transformation, a moment worth embracing. And it made braces the obvious choice.

A secondary but paramount priority for the campaign was driving traffic to the South location of the Level Orothodontics enterprise which is newer and less established than their successful North location. As part of our brand awareness campaign, our objective was to create new patients who sought out services at this South location instead of the North. 

Strategy

We built an ad-ecosystem. In a competitive landscape dominated by a giant budget from our main rival—flooding the market with billboards and mass media—we needed a strategy that didn’t compete on spend but outperformed through precision.

Using YouTube, Meta, Google, and TikTok, we designed a multi-funnel campaign with dynamic video placements that adapted based on platform, audience, and engagement level. The goal? Drive business to Level Orthodontics' newer South location by strategically leveraging content, digital ads, and hyper-targeted location placements.

Each video edit was tailored: fresh eyes saw an energetic hook, while repeat viewers received deeper storytelling. But as the campaign progressed, we saw engagement plateau as the same people saw the same video too many times.

To combat this, we pivoted—adjusting mid-flight to keep engagement high. With half the budget remaining, we developed shorter, faster video edits that kept the energy and impact intact. These new edits were reintroduced to the algorithm, ensuring fresh engagement. Designed for speed and clarity, these shorter versions fit perfectly with TikTok’s fast-paced format.

The standout performer? The full one-minute video. Despite the shorter edits, this version outperformed all others, proving that an engaging story keeps viewers hooked and drives deeper brand connections.

To drive traffic to the South location, we used hyper-targeting—location-based ads aimed directly at people within a specific radius of the office. This was crucial in attracting attention to a newer, less established location.

Maximizing every dollar, we doubled the usual ad spend. Each ad had a clear purpose, leading to a custom landing page designed to mirror the campaign’s aesthetic and drive conversions. Strategically placed CTAs encouraged viewers to take action—whether by calling, filling out a form, or booking an appointment.

Despite scaling down the budget midway, performance soared. The dynamic targeting, along with fresh edits, generated massive engagement. The real star was TikTok, where ads saw spectacular results—high engagement rates and record conversions. The TikTok audience wasn’t just engaged—they were ready to act.

In the end, we didn’t just capture attention; we captured action. Through strategic adjustments, expert targeting, and optimized video content, we turned clicks into calls, driving significant traffic to the South location. We proved that with creativity and precision, strategy always beats spend.

 

Results

Our campaign achieved 3.4 million impressions, 1.2 million video views, and 3,500 leads, proving that creativity and precision drive results. This was and is truly a high scoring campaign for our agency, and the client. 

With over 2 million impressions on Google, nearly 1 million on Social ads, and 400k impressions on TikTok, we reached a whole new audience eager to start their braces journey. 

Level Orthodontics is continuing to dominate, with plans for a Level 2 campaign in 2025—further expanding the Level Up Your Smile Universe. Thanks to this campaign, Level has opened a 3rd location due to the surge in business. 

The success isn’t just in the numbers; it’s in the real conversions. Level has cemented itself as the go-to choice for kids and parents alike—proving that the right message, targeted perfectly, creates lasting impact.

Media

Entrant Company / Organization Name

SOS Media Corp, Level Orthodontics

Links

Entry Credits