Olivia’s Walk for Wellness
Olivia Newton-John was an Australian icon. But more than that, she believed in the power of healing. That’s why she founded the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre at Austin Health. The centre helps thousands of cancer patients physically, mentally and spiritually through the hardest times in their life.
Every year, the centre hosts “Olivia’s Walk for Wellness” — a charity peer-to-peer fundraising event that raises funds to make these wellness programs accessible to those with cancer.
Having faced cancellations and poor performance through COVID, the 2022 event was set to be the biggest celebration and fundraiser to date, utilising a $50,000 media spend to reach a target of $1M.
It needed to be a walk to remember.
Honouring Olivia.
But the unthinkable happened in August 2022. Olivia passed away 12 days before the campaign went live.
Olivia’s tragic passing was felt across Australia, but it was especially felt within the ONJ Centre.
We saw first-hand the lives she touched and the special relationship she had with the centre. From there, we knew this walk needed to be reimagined to honour her legacy.
Bringing love and light.
The more we learned, the more we loved Olivia and everything she stood for.
She was joyful, caring and positive. She signed off every message with “Love and light, Olivia”.
And there it was. Olivia unknowingly gave us our concept… “Love + Light”.
The concept invited returning and new participants alike to honour Olivia’s memory and her legacy by bringing love and light to those living with cancer. A tribute wall, where participants were invited to write a note to honour Olivia or whomever they were walking for. Incorporating Olivia’s love heart from her sign off within the event logo lockup. Fizzing textures and light flares to represent Olivia’s effervescence. We wanted to ensure that Olivia’s energy shone through within all executions.
A strategy that achieved 262% increase on target.
We aligned digital efforts with proactive PR and editiorial coverage. The digital campaign launch was triggered by a television segment on 7 News’ Sunrise program, where Olivia was honoured and remembered for devoting her life to supporting those with cancer. This ensured brand awareness and alignment.
We refined the digital user journey and aligned creative to this so that at all touchpoints, supporters were encouraged to engage, convert and fundraise.
Knowing that Olivia was loved around the world, we made it easy to participate across the globe. Supporters could download guides and resources with clear and achievable steps. This meant the event was completely accessible whether you were joining online from Singapore or coming along to the in-person event in Melbourne.
Finally, we incentivised involvement and higher donations through a triggered email journey to promote participation and fundraising.
On October 9, the sun was beaming, the Melbourne Tan (or Botanical Gardens) was full of energy, and there were thousands of people walking worldwide in her honour. But more than that, millions of dollars were raised to help people with cancer thrive.
Results
PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK
“This was my first walk for wellness and an absolutely wonderful experience. I loved being a part of Olivia’s legacy.”
Services USED
Peer-to-peer campaign development
Campaign concept development
Creative, Design & Video
Digital Fundraising
Digital Campaigns
Email Marketing & Automation