Our government collects data on everything from schools to subway delays — but accessing it has never been easy. Public data wasn’t built for the public. Enter USAFacts. The nonprofit from former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer analyzes data on all aspects of American life. USAFacts packages insights in the form of clear, unbiased infographics. No spin, no hot takes, just the facts you need to make informed decisions.

Our work was grounded in a simple insight: opinions aren’t the problem, opinions without facts are. We expressed this through the brand idea “The data we deserve,” uniting people across the political spectrum around the belief that easy-to-understand public data belongs to all of us. And when facts are accessible, conversations can be more informed, nuanced, and productive. They may even lead us to fresh new conclusions.

To launch our new brand, we made a bold statement in our nation’s capital. Mysterious flyers flooded the streets, and one day, DC woke up to an inflatable banana in the National Mall. Inflated numbers and exaggerated hot takes can go by unnoticed, but a larger-than-life piece of fruit stopped the city in its tracks.

The activation introduced passersby to USAFacts’ mission: in a world where everything is blown out of proportion to push an agenda, public data keeps us grounded. We amplified the campaign with distorted OOH ads, bending and twisting topics like inflation, healthcare, and government spending. The result? Over 17 million impressions and 100% share of voice in the DC area.