The Offer: Tied to a week of National Geographic Channel programming commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the “Remembering 9/11” Facebook app allows users to share and reflect on their experiences via an interactive map. Developed by Neo-Pangea, the app asks, “Where were you on 9/11?”?
The Data: The app, which has more than 915,000 ?Facebook “likes,” is still actively collecting stories. Thus far, more than 8,300 people have posted their recollections. The app was translated into eight languages, including Dutch, Spanish, Hungarian and German. More than 21 million viewers tuned in during primetime for the network’s “Remembering 9/11 Week.”?
The Channel: A banner prominently featured National Geographic’s “Remembering 9/11” landing page links to the Facebook app, urging visitors to tap into the power of collective memory.?
The Creative: The app, which National Geographic says “creates a living narrative of an unforgettable day,” uses Google Maps API. Users can post their personal accounts with location-specific tags that appear on a clickable map. The stories, which become markers on the map, can be sorted by location or by one’s Facebook friends. Having clicked on and zoomed onto a particular location, users can read the stories and leave comments.?
Verdict:
John Gagné is SVP and executive creative director at Proximity Canada. Gagné, who joined Proximity in 2006, leads one of the largest creative departments in Canada. He is based in Toronto.
This Facebook app plays in the “Where were you when …” space, a simple but strong idea given the enormity of 9/11, how it has marked our time and effectively changed the way we live. The app connects me to my friends’ comments and, of course, to thousands of others. I contributed my recollection.?
