The Ever Better Challenge

“Finish for a change.”

Our insight was that most resolutions fail because they focus solely on goals and rely on willpower alone. But that’s not how behavior changes. What if we could help users build and maintain better habits instead?

We created the Ever Better Challenge, a free 30-day program, with Evernote as the centerpiece and a three-part content strategy as the driver.

First, we positioned the brand as a thought leader. Then we gave people a set of simple yet powerful tools they could use right away. Finally, we provided emotional reasons to make Evernote part of their daily routine, and encouragement to keep going.

Creating a personable persona

I was the public face of the program, starring in playful videos, podcast interviews, and a series of Instagram stories. My glasses and bow tie became signature branding assets for the program on social media. And as leader of the content writing team, I also provided editorial oversight for all scripts and copy.

For the videos, I developed a screen persona inspired by Carl Sagan, Mister Rogers, and Kermit the Frog — a calming guide who's trustworthy, supportive, and fun. Visual assets inspired by Japanese woodblock prints brought that same sense of calm into the campaign’s visual identity.

It worked. The kickoff video amassed 330,000 views.

Elegant, yet scrappy

We built the campaign in-house on a shoestring budget, shooting videos at various sets created inside the Evernote office. Props — from elephant slippers to a marimba — were all supplied by members of the marketing team.

Off-camera efforts included podcast interviews with New York Times bestselling authors James Clear and John Zeratsky, specialized note templates, and a blog series. We built an interactive landing page to host it all and drove traffic with email newsletters that reached over 5 million people.

“You want actual results... and so do we.”

The cornerstones of the campaign were authenticity and candor.

A copywriter from my team took the challenge himself, giving readers an intimate view as he worked to change his eating habits. On Instagram, influencers showcased their habit changes and rallied their followers to join the movement. And a Facebook group brought over 1,400 people together in a community of mutual support, just one part of a 38% rise in overall social media engagement.

The campaign earned over 350,000 landing page visits and positive press from Good Housekeeping, VentureBeat, SF Egotist, and Elite Daily, all proving that the challenges we addressed were real — and our message resonated. As Econsultancy said, “It’s a series that intrinsically hooks people in.”

Looking back, I understand that “ever better” worked because it was far more than a campaign gimmick. It was a philosophy, a way of life. How do we make ourselves just a little bit better? What one habit can we tweak? What small part of the motivation loop can we turn to a positive end?

What will you do — today — to be Ever Better?