Jenny Nellis
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DNA Friend

DNA Friend is a satirical take on DNA testing services. A Thud project that explores genetic privacy in our current time of casually sharing our data without thinking twice. It was a big hit within the actual genetics community and comedy nerds alike.

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Press: CNBC, USA Today, Tech2, The Atlantic, and Genome Web

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Genetics of Branding & Experience

We were fascinated by the rate at which people engage with DNA testing; without thinking too critically about what they are sharing with a corporation. So we created our version of a pretty dark corporation, skinned as a happy, friendly company, and that was our jumping-off point for this interactive journey. We then created a multi-step experience for our audience to “test” their DNA by having them take a photo of their saliva. That kicks off a 48 hour storyline that ends in our guests receiving personalized DNA results.

On its most profound level, DNA Friend is biting satirical take on our relationships to corporations we know very little about. On its surface, it is a fun experience that is sure to make you laugh.

 
 

The DNA Friend Site

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“The site is hilarious, and worth spending some time browsing. But like comedy often does, it also gets into some serious themes. ”
— Christina Farr, CNBC
 
 

Get Your DNA Test Results

 

Something important to us was that your results are unique to each user. We wanted our users to feel ownership over their results. So we made sure all of the results we sent our users were entirely custom for them containing jokes unique to their results. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it.

 
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“The website is full of such hilarity, and worth browsing when... Like it’s only too rare to find in comedy, the website has light-hearted and serious themes underlying it.”
— Tech2
 
 
 
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Make sure you share your whole genetic sequence with the world!

We went all out with the DNA Friend Social feed setting up multi-step narratives that our audience could follow, quick jokes, and fun facts. We also allowed for everyone to share their DNA Friend test results. If you are looking for a laugh, I highly recommend you check it out.

 
 

Spitty the DNA Friend Mascot

To get our audience excited about our launch, we created a custom mascot, Spitty, and sent him along with the DNA Friend street team to SXSW and NYC to spread the word. On their tour, they passed out stickers and got people to give us their spit! So that we could get them their results! It was a lot of good fun that spread awareness and increased engagement.