Case study — SmartPGH
Writing a city’s rallying cry.
Pittsburgh was one of seven finalists for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge, a federal competition to reimagine urban transportation. As Content Marketing Lead, I co-wrote the campaign script and authored the written submission and web copy that made the case for Pittsburgh.
Competition
U.S. Department of Transportation Smart City Challenge
My role
Content Marketing Lead: campaign strategy, script writing, content design
Outcome
Pittsburgh named one of seven finalists
Campaign video
01 — Challenge
Smart technology means nothing if it doesn’t reach everyone.
The campaign needed a voice that was both ambitious and grounded, one that could speak to federal evaluators and Pittsburgh residents alike.
02 — The work
We wrote a video script built around a single idea that innovation only counts if it's equitable. The tagline I wrote — "If it's not for all, it's not for us" — became the throughline for the entire campaign, across the video, the written submission, and the web.
03 — Result
The tagline took on a life of its own.
Former Mayor Bill Peduto adopted it as his own language, quoting it publicly at a Department of Transportation event. Pittsburgh made it to the final seven.
"If it's not for all, it's not for us" is brilliant. — Matthew Wheeland
“Played the #smartpgh video. DOE leaders now quoting ‘If it’s not for all, it’ s not for us.’” — Grant Ervin
"If it's not for all, it's not for us." Cue the goosebumps. — Murphy Epson
"@CityPGH video made me cry. Cities can accomplish anything!" — Rachel Sweet