"The digital marketing campaign they delivered can only be described as a gold-medal performance. The team at Pixel8 took to the campaign with real gusto!"
Shaun, Marketing Manager at Eastland's Trust
Using the hashtag #MCR2Rio, pixel8 supplied the unique portfolio of national sport centres in Manchester, including the National Cycling Centre, National Squash Centre, National Taekwondo Centre, National Basketball Performance Centre, and tennis and football facilities, with branded #MCR2Rio experiential marketing materials, alongside a comprehensive digital marketing campaign via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Designed to celebrate the very best of British athletes, pixel8 also assisted with the creation of a #MCR2Rio Fanzone and competition. At the National Cycling Centre, this included a big screen, celebration selfie zone, carnival fancy dress, Brazilian cuisine, and much more. Participants across various centres were also encouraged to dress up and upload their photos via social media using #MCR2Rio and the winning entry received an Olympic Sport Taster session of their choice at one of Manchester’s national facilities.
The #MCR2Rio campaign reached far and wide across the UK, and exceeded KPIs by reaching over 7 million sport enthusiasts in the UK. Other key results also included over 180K visiting the the National Cycling Centre website, 1.4 million social media Impressions and over 15K unique social engagements in just two weeks.
Ultimately, the campaign set out to raise awareness of Manchester as a hub for the UK’s national sports centres and home to where the some of the UK’s world-class athletes train. Subsequently, Eastlands Trust have seen a considerable increase in interest and people booking on activities and sessions. The results speak for themselves.
Online sign-ups at the National Cycling Centre increased by 225%, Track Taster session attendance was up by 20%, Intro to BMX sessions were up by 40%, and over 200 Taster Track vouchers were sold compared to just 32 across the same period last year.
Following from the success of the campaign and Manchester’s athletes, who ensured Manchester would be fourth in the Olympic league table if we were a country according to the MEN, Manchester is equally proud to be the official host city for the official Olympics & Paralympics victory parade, with London also organising a separate event.
Sian Ediss, Digital Marketing Manager at Pixel8 was also incredibly pleased with the results:
“Our comprehensive digital marketing strategy struck a fine balance between Organic, Paid, and User Generated online content. We successfully raised awareness of Team GB and Rio events and drove footfall and additional sign-ups to sports activities across all national centres. With a 225% increase in online bookings and increased local awareness, Pixel8 raised the bar and we’re incredibly excited to continue the development of digital marketing campaigns to inspire our next generation of Mancunian Olympians.”
Pixel8 are a branding and digital marketing agency located in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. Founded in 1999, the quietly successful agency has worked alongside some of the world’s biggest brands including Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Manchester United and Eastlands Trust.
To find out more about pixel8 visit www.pixel8ltd.com. You can also follow them on Twitter via @Pixel8Ltd or at www.facebook.com/pixel8manchester.
To find out more about the National Cycling Centre visit www.nationalcyclingcentre.com. You can also learn more about all the Eastland’s Trust sites at bit.ly/SportsInManchester.
