Campaign Overview
A Mission to Reach 10 Million Students.
Crime Stoppers of Houston has operated since 1980, connecting more than 70 local and federal law enforcement agencies to a tip line that has resolved over 37,000 cases, paid out more than $13 million in rewards, and assisted approximately 20,000 victims. Their Million for Million initiative sets an ambitious new goal: reach 10 million students with face-to-face safety training, 24/7 guidance, and family resource tools.
The audiences most at risk (teenagers, young adults, and their parents) are also the hardest to reach through traditional media. They're not watching broadcast. They're scrolling. They trust creators, not institutions. And in a city where Houston reported more than 27,000 violent crime incidents in 2025, there's no room for a campaign that gets ignored.
Crime Stoppers couldn't put a logo on a billboard and call it a strategy. They needed real voices, in real communities, speaking from real experience, in a format those communities would actually stop and watch.
Results
Campaign Reach
9
creators deployed
12
produced content pieces
10
months of sustained campaign
3.3M+
total amplified reach
330,888
total organic reach
355K+
paid post engagements
Real-World Impact
What the Work Made Possible
+897%
increase vs. the previous 28 years combined
239,474
students reached in schools
$200K+
rewards paid out to tipsters
201
arrests made
359
cases solved through the Tip Line
−6.3%
crimes against persons vs. prior year
Message Alignment
The Messenger Is the Message
Most influencer campaigns start with an audience. We started with a question: who has actually lived close enough to this issue to speak about it with credibility? Our nine creators weren't chosen because their follower counts fit a media plan. They were chosen because their personal connection made them credible, trusted messengers in spaces conventional advertising can't reach at any price.
Strategy & Execution
Not Just Who They Follow, But Who They Believe.
- Creator selection was driven by lived experience and topic alignment, not follower count.
- A 10-month sustained campaign built cumulative community presence month over month.
- Topics were matched to creators' specific audiences: parents, teens, young adults, and Hispanic families.
- Each creator spoke in their own voice. Key messages were delivered, never scripted.
- Content ran 30 to 60 seconds, filmed in native environments, not polished studios, and built for how people actually scroll.
- Organic amplification from creators' own networks, peers, teammates, and communities, extended reach beyond paid media.
- Some creators appeared once at the right moment. Others, like Gabby Baptista and Mely Cruz, earned a deeper role across multiple months.
Campaign Objectives
Same Mission & No Margin for Generic.
Crime Stoppers' mission didn't get smaller. The audience got harder to reach, and generic wouldn't cut it.
- Extend awareness of Crime Stoppers and its Tip Line Program beyond its existing audience, reaching teens, parents, and young adults through trusted, community-native voices.
- Normalize conversations around serious safety topics, fentanyl, human trafficking, teen dating violence, bullying, and mental health, through creators with personal relevance to each subject.
- Drive measurable reach and engagement across a 10-month campaign through an integrated organic and paid social strategy.
- Support the Million for Million mission to reach 10 million students by building the awareness and community trust those programs depend on to grow.
The Creators
Nine Creators. Twelve Conversations.
- Audrey Wascome (@audreyhayworth), Human Trafficking.
- Kristen Sharpe (@iamkristenfaith), Teen Dating Violence.
- Gabby Baptista (@vibralatinahouston), Parent Safety, Situational Awareness, and Back to School.
- Jena Ehlinger (@jenaehlinger1566), Fentanyl.
- Michael Taaffe (@michaeljtaaffe), Fentanyl.
- Mely Cruz (@allthingsmely), Evergreen Safety and Mental Health.
- Muneera Page (@muneerapage), Back to School.
- Katy Moms Network (@katymomsnetwork), Difficult Conversations and Emergency Prep.
- El Paso Mom (@elpasomom_), Bullying.
The Standout
Michael Taaffe
In 2021, Michael Taaffe's teammate and close friend Jake Ehlinger, a University of Texas football player, died after being drugged with fentanyl-laced Xanax. When we asked Michael to participate, he said yes without hesitation.
- In February, Jake's mother, Jena Ehlinger, posted a Reel speaking to the community and telling Jake's story in partnership with Crime Stoppers.
- In March, he posted a Reel speaking directly to young people about fentanyl, not from a talking point, but from personal loss.
- It became the highest-performing piece of content in the entire campaign.
- UT athletes and peers reshared it on their own, a peer-to-peer amplification effect no media buy could manufacture.
