Barclays – Take One Small Step into the night with UNICEF

Objective
‘Barclays Take One Small Step into the Night’ charity night walk saw Start deliver a truly integrated, end-to-end brand experience. The aim of the campaign was to raise money for vulnerable children in Rwanda and in London through a 10k walk through London.  The brief to Start Creative was to develop brand strategy, identity and communications , and for Start Live to  deliver a slick, high-profile, live public event, working with a number of key stakeholders, including Barclays, UNICEF and Heart FM.
 
Approach
Start Live identified an appropriate location for the start and finish of the 10k night walk at Potters Fields, in the shadow of Tower Bridge.  Producing a community feel that generated excitement and engaged walkers, Start Live created an event village with various fun marquees and live stage acts, including African drummers and dancers, DJ sets from Heart FM, and the cheerleading troupe ‘Cheer Fit’ to warm up walkers before they set off. off.  More than 1000 Barclays’ staff and members of the public registered for the event, with many celebrities lending their support to truly bring the campaign identity of “Follow the Stars” to life. They included; Charley Boorman, Dwain Chambers, Joe Calzaghe, X Factor’s Brian Friedman and Sinitta, and Strictly Come Dancing’s Kristina Rihanoff, Ali Bastian, and Michelle Williams (of Destiny’s Child). The route took the walkers - holding branded glowing balloons – across Tower Bridge, through the City and West End, and back along the South Bank to reach the finish line.
 
Results
Almost 1000 participants took part in the walk, raising thousands of pounds for UNICEF and Have a Heart in aid of vulnerable children in Rwanda and London. The event, in its second year, but organised for the first time by Start Live, tripled the number of participants in its first year, and was hailed a huge success by all stakeholders.