Reviving a 20-year fundraising icon.
Background
The Aspire Channel Swim had been the charity's flagship fundraising event for over 20 years, raising more than £6 million for people living with spinal cord injuries.
It's a brilliantly simple virtual challenge. Swim the equivalent of the English Channel, 22 miles in 12 weeks, at your own local pool while raising sponsorship.
But after a rebrand in 2018, participation and income had fallen. The event had lost momentum, and Aspire needed a fresh pair of eyes to get it back on track.
The Brief
This wasn't just about producing new creative. Aspire wanted someone to dig into the data, understand what had gone wrong and build a strategy to increase sign-ups, improve conversion and grow income.
There was one extra challenge. The media budget had been cut by 50%. We had to deliver better results with half the spend.
The Work
Before creating anything, I wanted to understand everything.
We reviewed campaign performance, audience data, competitor activity, media channels, website user experience and the entire supporter journey. Every touchpoint was examined to identify where people were dropping out and where the biggest opportunities existed.
From there, we redefined the audience strategy, creating clear propositions and messaging for different supporter groups, from new participants to previous swimmers, leisure centres and key influencers.
Rather than recommending another expensive rebrand, we advised a creative refresh. Aspire had already invested heavily in photography. The issue wasn't the assets, it was how they were being used. By sharpening the proposition and developing a stronger creative platform, we gave the campaign a fresh new energy without unnecessary cost.
Alongside the creative, we developed a full acquisition and stewardship strategy, covering digital advertising, email, social media, PR and supporter communications. Leisure centres also became a much bigger part of the recruitment strategy, recognising the important role they play in inspiring people to take part.
Working with a trusted team of designers, developers and digital specialists, we produced an integrated campaign designed to maximise every pound of the available budget.
Results
Despite operating with half the previous year's media budget, the refreshed campaign reversed the decline and put the event back on a stronger footing. More importantly, it proved that better fundraising doesn't always come from spending more. It comes from understanding the audience, sharpening the proposition and making every decision count.
£400,000 amount raised.
£78.15 raised per registrant.
Remittance rate of 46.4% compared to last year's 39.4%
Doubled conversion rate on Facebook.
5265 sign-ups.