2019 Silver Best Use of Data and Insight

Agency: Medialab

Client: Macmillan Cancer Support

Campaign Name: Events Growth Hack

Campaign Overview

Macmillan needed to outpace the steady growth of its previous Mighty Hikes events to meet tough goals.

In 2019, the cancer charity wanted to significantly grow income and lead the walking event market, despite a crowded fundraising event sector.

Strategy

Previously, Mighty Hikes focused on targeting the most valuable event participants and lookalikes.

But scaling beyond digital channels was an uphill struggle.

Behavioural insight informed a different way of thinking about targeting, and engaging with, potential event participants.

People tend to take part in events as a team. A fifth of participants were “inspirer" team captains responsible for motivating other participants.

By analysing the profile and behaviour of these people and the “inspired” separately, a new media and creative strategy was born.

Multiple data points including behavioural survey data; historic performance and demographic profiling were fed into proprietary insight platform Apollo.

Medialab applied insight about what inspires the inspirers, media that reaches them and when they’re most likely to inspire others.

The campaign strategy was tested and optimised, further boosting efficiency.

Creativity

It was key to understand the behaviour of “inspirers”. But something special was needed.

Analysis showed targets responded well to messaging about the feeling of achievement from completing the event.

Drones to capture event footage and the video team produced stand-out creative of epic views at events.

Using live data, activity was boosted on- and offline at times the audience would be most likely to share content and organise their team's event.

Socio-demographic analysis showed inspirers’ media consumption was different to a typical participant’s.

Channels not typically used for events were introduced, such as door-drops and sponsored content, alongside a suite of digital and broadcast media.

Relevance was vital.

For broadcast media the creative moved the message from national message to regional.

Results

• 70% improvement in post reactions
• 62% improvement in shares
• 80% increase in comments

The Team

Helen Hancock, Challenge Events Senior Programme Manager, Macmillan - Owen Taylor, Business Director, Medialab - Henry Astley, Senior Account Manager, Medialab - Amy Richards, Senior Account Executive, Medialab - Alex Fresco, Challenge Events Programme Manager, Macmillan - Alex Hill, Challenge Events Team Manager, Macmillan - Hayley Short, Head of Challenge Events, Macmillan - Ian Lulham, Challenge Events Team Manager, Macmillan

Contributors

Silver Lining and James McCauley