It’s been a golden decade of sport for the UK; we’ve hosted some of the greatest international spectacles and been inspired by teams and athletes amongst the best in the world. As one more great fixture comes to a close, we reflect on another that captured the people’s hearts – the 2012 Olympic Games in London. So much so for four adventurers that they wanted to pass the baton over to Rio personally, completing a world-record breaking journey from one Olympic stadium to the next by manpower alone.
Raising money for charity in the process, the challenge was set; the next thing was to drive awareness and build a following. With a strong background in executing successful, streamlined communications campaigns for travel & adventure professionals and organisations, Isla Haslam, Director of Kettle Green Communications, supported Row2Rio with its PR and social media strategy. Managing the team’s Facebook and Twitter to increase engagement, Isla was responsible for communicating regular updates from the team, managing sponsorship opportunities, organising press attendance in both London and Brazil, and facilitating coverage of the challenge through nuts and bolts PR activity for maximum effect at minimum cost.
Cycling the 1,542 miles from the Olympic Park in Stratford, London, to Lagos, Portugal, the mixed team of four then went on to complete 3,400 nautical miles in an ocean rowing boat, past the Canary Islands and Cape Verde, before heading in a South Westerly direction to the east coast of Brazil. Here, they tackled a further 1,495 miles in the saddle to Rio De Janeiro, covering a total of 6,500 miles, including six weeks at sea. On completing the challenge, the team had hit the headlines in a number of UK and Brazilian titles, including the book of Guinness World Records, The Times, Independent, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror and Health & Fitness magazine to name a few, as well as national Brazilian TV and BBC Radio 2 with Chris Evans. This amounted to an audience reach of just over 99 million.
In just a few short months, the R2R team’s social media following had also grown exponentially through constant updates on the team’s progress. Instagram, for example, grew from a following of just 50, to 1,200-plus, while Facebook grew to around 1.5K thanks to the opportunity for followers to ask questions which went directly to the team. Isla also helped with managing the sponsors of Row2Rio, and with securing and negotiating product sponsorship from Seal Skinz, Huel, Insignium, Water Rower and many more. All sponsors were kept informed of the progress throughout the adventure.
Jake Heath, from the Row2Rio team, comments: “Organising Row2Rio, not to mention completing it, was absolutely all encompassing and tested us to our limits, both mentally and physically. But, of course, there was a whole other side to the challenge that was just as important for us to get right, and so it was really important that our communications strategy was in safe hands.
“We needed someone we could trust to do a great job when effectively left to their own devices, while we focused on what we needed to. I have to say we weren’t disappointed. Our expectations were surpassed and it was so rewarding to see all the positive press and well wishes we were receiving from those following our journey, which really helped spur us on and get our story out there across the UK and beyond.
To find out how we can help you raise awareness of your next adventure, contact us at hello@kettlegreenagency.com or follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
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