Our innovative event, ‘Sanctuary From Your Sofa’, has scooped the award for Best Audience Engagement Campaign at the prestigious 2020 UK Social Media Awards.
The event gave people the opportunity to ‘visit’ our main herd of resident donkeys and see how our dedicated grooms were continuing to provide the highest level of care during the coronavirus lockdown.
The feel good event offered audiences the chance to get their ‘donkey fix’ and experience our tranquil environment, providing a break from anxiety and uncertainty caused by the lockdown.
The viewing stats from Easter Sunday’s virtual event make for impressive reading. The total reach was 1.1 million people; 440,000 viewers, 41,000 total engagements and 8,300 comments – from Hawaii to New Zealand. This meant audiences watched 347,000 minutes of live donkey interaction on the day - equivalent to 232 days.
Most importantly, the events had a direct impact on our ability to carry on helping donkeys, with a noticeable increase in online revenue recorded over the course of the day, highlighting the mutually beneficial nature of the event.
The UK Social Media Awards aim to celebrate the very best in UK social media communications and reward the individuals, companies and organisations who are using online platforms to communicate in fresh and innovative ways.
Reflecting on the news, Cheryl Martin, our Director of Brand & Communications, said: “We were up against some big hitting brands and agencies across the three categories, including Samsung and the NHS England Covid-19 campaign: ‘Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives’. So, for us to have won is incredible and we couldn’t be more proud.”
While the event was a team effort across the whole charity, its success belongs to our wonderful supporters, whose continued commitment to our cause helps us foster innovation and support donkeys in need.
