Client Success Story

Cerebral Palsy Alliance

Making strides for Cerebral Palsy: STEPtember campaign generates $11.1M in funds for research

Challenge

STEPtember is an annual event to raise funds for cerebral palsy research. The event challenges people to walk 10,000 steps per day during the month of September. In 2021 the campaign faced several challenges. It occurred during the toughest COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in Australia, with many high-density areas under military and police control, resulting in house-bound potential participants, economic uncertainty and conservative media investment. Cerebral Palsy Alliance (CPA) had ambitious goals of reaching $11.1 million in total revenue, 84,000 participants, and $7 million in net revenue. They also wanted to upgrade access to insights into participant engagement, and to improve engagement with their website and social channels.

Audience Insight

Given the nature of STEPtember, the perils of COVID-19 put the 2021 campaign in serious jeopardy. On our side was that there were no limitations as to how participants could engage physically, with over 40 activities registered that could count towards participant’s daily step count. The strategic framework was underpinned by one core truth: Everybody steps differently.

Solution

The Media Precinct developed a strategic framework to counter the restrictive lockdown conditions, that promoted a wide variety of ways for participants to engage – like burpees at home or sharing selfies on social media to foster a virtual community. Audience segmentation based on first-party data enabled fundraising growth among participant clusters, grouping them based on their fundraising ability, engagement with STEPtember, motivations, and influence on their community.

Real-time optimisation throughout the campaign, including new audience targeting, creative adjustments, and review of results, led to successful campaign execution across different scenarios and stages. One of the most effective shifts in communication was targeted towards incomplete registrants, using emotional messaging to highlight the real need for funding for people with Cerebral Palsy, which reduced incomplete registration levels.

Results

A 64% increase in year-on-year (YOY) revenue and a 16% increase in participant fundraising activation. Retention rates also saw a remarkable increase of 27%, surpassing campaign benchmarks.
The campaign leveraged innovative first-party data management to shape audiences and creative, resulting in a +64% lift in funds raised YOY.
CPA gained an intimate understanding of participants through advanced segmentation, refining the brand strategy and platforms, and using data and reporting tools more effectively. STEPtember 2021 not only defied expectations but redefined the campaign potential, showcasing the power of data-driven insights and agile campaign management.

At a Glance

Client

Cerebal Palsy Alliance

Highlights

Innovative audience targeting results in