Mark Hackman
Chicago Mayor’s Office
Aunty Lightfoot
Turning a tense public moment into messaging people actually wanted to share.
In the early weeks of COVID-19, I was reassigned to support a communications task force focused on public safety guidance, city resources, and rapidly changing small-business policies. Public messaging needed to encourage compliance during an anxious moment, while also finding an authentic and likable role for the Mayor with no paid media budget.
The Work
Rather than position the Mayor as the formal face of lockdown messaging, I recommended a lighter, more organic approach built for social behavior. Using a memorable stare from a prior public appearance, we began replying to residents joking about breaking protocol with a simple reaction image from official city accounts.
The content was intentionally low-friction and quietly tested in the wild before any broader rollout. As engagement accelerated, the approach expanded across city and mayoral channels, turning a single image into a recognizable and shareable public shorthand.
The Impact
The “Aunty Lightfoot” meme became a national cultural moment, earning widespread organic reach and coverage from outlets including People. More importantly, it transformed serious public guidance into something residents voluntarily circulated, demonstrating how smart, low-cost community engagement can outperform traditional top-down messaging.
