Macmillan Cancer Support
Key Takeaways
- Macmillan Cancer Support needed to rejuvenate interest in its Macmillan Coffee Morning event with participation levels having dropped post-pandemic.
- Immediate’s food brands were leveraged for the ‘Ditch the Doily’ campaign.
- The campaign resulted in an increase in sign-ups for Macmillan Coffee Morning.
One Page Summary
Client Quote
Macmillan Coffee Morning is a great way to raise money and help Macmillan Cancer Support continue doing whatever it takes to provide vital support to people living with cancer.
We know that every Macmillan Coffee Morning is different, and we wanted to show people that Coffee Mornings can happen wherever, and however people choose, from a football pitch to choir practice.Claire Spencer, Marketing Manager, National Marketing (Fundraising)
By partnering with Immediate, we were able to use their trusted and relevant platforms to reach new audiences. With the authority of brands such as BBC Good Food, who is one of the biggest players in the food space and the go-to destination for anyone who wants a great (and reliable!) recipe, we were able show a different side to the usual perception of Macmillan Coffee Morning, and inspire our amazing hosts with fun and creative ideas for their own events.
The Challenge
Macmillan Cancer Support wanted to rejuvenate interest in its signature Macmillan Coffee Morning event, motivating individuals to host their own gatherings across the UK.
Post-pandemic, participation had not yet bounced back to previous levels. To drive awareness of their flagship fundraising event, they needed to inspire the target audience of time poor yet sociable women aged 35+, to host their own Coffee Morning, raise money to help people living with cancer, and sign up for a free fundraising kit.
The Plan/Execution
Macmillan partnered with Immediate Media who were well positioned to champion this cause, with a reach that extends to 23 million women aged 35+. Among these, 5.2 million have donated to cancer charities in the past year, and 684,000 have shown their support to Macmillan Cancer Support.
Immediate’s trusted food brands BBC Good Food, olive, and delicious were leveraged for the ‘Ditch the Doily’ campaign. This emphasised the essence of gathering, rather than the formalities. It’s about the connections we forge and the collective spirit to make a difference for those affected by cancer.
Central to the campaign was a specialised hub packed with recipes, pointers, and inspirations, all funnelled towards motivating individuals to organise their own Macmillan Coffee Morning events. Shattering conventional Coffee Morning expectations, videos spotlighting coffee gatherings in unexpected settings were created:
- Football & Focaccia: Young women savouring focaccia post-match.
- Garden Galettes: Allotment enthusiasts bonding over galettes.
- Choir & Cookies: A choir relishing cardamom cookies after a harmonious session.
The hub and accompanying digital traffic drivers also boasted an innovative ‘recipe spinner’, offering users random, delightful recipes to experiment with. The campaign’s message was reinforced through print advertorials with a unique QR code to streamline the sign-up process. The narrative was amplified through podcast sponsorships, regular newsletters, and strategic social media endorsements, ensuring the campaign was experienced across a multitude of touchpoints.
Links
Videos:
Macmillan Coffee Morning – Football
Macmillan Coffee Morning – Choir
Macmillan Coffee Morning – Allotment
Results
The KPIs set for page views, video views and engagement metrics were all surpassed.
Results of a brand uplift study are pending, but performance highlights included:
- More than 88k visitors to the bespoke hub, vs a predicted 59k (148% delivered).
- Average page engagement time of 40.8 seconds vs 18 second benchmark.
- 1.64m social video views, vs a forecast of 850k (193% delivered).
- The interactive spinner achieved a CTR of .38% against a benchmark of .18%
- Increase in sign-ups for Macmillan Coffee Morning via Macmillan’s website.
