Energise Me (Active Partnership for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight) is beating inactivity with a mission-driven approach to marketing.
Energise Me translated its mission statement into three broad marketing principles:
- Storytelling– to tell the story of how physical activity and sport can change people’s lives
- Insight and Behaviour Change– to research and develop targeted communications that inspire inactive audiences and influence positive behaviour change
- Awareness-raising– to raise awareness of Energise Me’s charitable role and impact in supporting the sector and making our communities happier, healthier and stronger
Inactive groups sit at the heart of Energise Me’s marketing strategy, as the organisation strives to beat inactivity.
Its storytelling strand has successfully encouraged e-news subscribers into physical activity through initiatives such as Tech Explorers. Meanwhile its press stories are breaking free of the sports pages to put physical activity on a wider audience’s radar.
The organisation’s social media activity is targeted at inactive and newly active people in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. It focuses on social listening and initiating supportive conversations to reinforce active behaviours. Tracking use of #Couchto5k and similar hashtags has enabled Energise Me to support local people who are trying to be more active. In many cases this has resulted in new followers and regular interaction. Women now make up over 50% of the organisation’s social media following as a direct result.
Gratitude from the local community is evident in responses such as:
“After an awful day at work, you’ve got no idea how much I needed this.”
To engage the workforce, Energise Me has developed insight guides and toolkitsto influence activity provision and to raise its profile as a supportive organisation. This has resulted in new partners from other sectors initiating conversations with Energise Me.
Taking a mission-driven marketing approach has meant reducing some historical activities to make space for new initiatives. The organisation’s values of being purposeful and innovative have paved the way for the marketing team to help kick inactivity into touch.