Peppa Pig wanted to turn a major new storyline - George Pig being diagnosed as deaf in one ear - into a national conversation that reached far beyond preschool media and delivered meaningful support for the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS).
Our objective was to use earned media to sustain attention over several months, reach UK families through news, entertainment, sport, lifestyle, parenting and social channels, and increase understanding of childhood hearing loss and visibility for NDCS. We also wanted attention to translate into action through fundraising, search interest, website engagement and participation.
The idea was deliberately unexpected: make Daddy Pig a real London Marathon participant. By connecting George’s hearing-loss story with Daddy Pig’s marathon challenge, we could combine an authentic purpose narrative with a culturally irresistible news story. The ambition was not simply to secure coverage, but to make a preschool storyline matter in mainstream culture - and prove earned media could be the creative platform itself.
The challenge was to make a fictional cartoon storyline relevant to people who might never seek out preschool entertainment news. Our earned-first answer was to treat Daddy Pig exactly like a real celebrity marathon runner, while keeping George’s hearing-loss journey and NDCS at the emotional heart of the campaign.
We built the campaign around two complementary narratives. The purpose narrative used George’s diagnosis to create opportunities for lived-experience storytelling, expert commentary, research and representation. The cultural narrative used Daddy Pig’s London Marathon challenge to unlock sport, entertainment, celebrity and social conversation. Together, they gave different media a reason to tell the same story in ways native to their audiences.
Execution unfolded in three phases. First, Awareness & Credibility launched George’s hearing-loss storyline through Good Morning Britain exclusives, interviews with Jodie Ounsley, NDCS expert commentary, parent research, national and consumer coverage, and authentic content featuring deaf children.
Second, Building Anticipation gradually turned Daddy Pig into a celebrity athlete. MailOnline exclusives, a Joe Wicks partnership, a Secret London social launch, running and fitness outreach, podcasts, training updates and feature storytelling created a sequence of fresh hooks rather than a one-day announcement.
Finally, Marathon Weekend broke the fourth wall. Daddy Pig became a genuine participant in the TCS London Marathon, supported by BBC Sport integrations, live broadcast coverage, social-first content, real-time media amplification and ongoing NDCS fundraising. Standout earned moments included an animated BBC Sport interview with Gabby Logan and a Runner’s World celebrity cover.
Every channel received a tailored version of the story: broadcast focused on lived experience and representation; parenting on hearing-loss awareness; sport on training and participation; entertainment on celebrity-style storytelling; and social on humour, speculation and participation. This channel-specific approach kept the narrative cohesive while continually renewing its news value.
The result was an earned-media campaign in which the coverage was not simply distribution. Each interview, feature, social reaction and live moment became part of the creative experience, blurring fiction and reality and turning a children’s character into a mainstream cultural participant.
The campaign delivered exceptional earned-media performance, translating national attention into cultural, behavioural and brand impact.
It generated 2,500+ pieces of coverage, including 729 top-tier placements, across BBC, The Guardian, Daily Mail, The Independent, The Sun, Good Morning Britain and Runner’s World. Total reach exceeded 6.7 billion, generating an estimated 27.7 million views and 50.6K earned-media engagements.
The campaign also transformed Peppa Pig’s share of conversation. Earned share of voice rose 31 points year-on-year following George’s hearing-loss storyline, followed by a further 30-point increase during marathon weekend. TikTok views of #PeppaPig increased 83% month-on-month, while user-generated TikTok videos rose 321%.
Crucially, awareness translated into meaningful brand outcomes. 72% of parents surveyed had already encountered at least one campaign activation, with 47.9% aware of both. Following exposure, 89.7% said Peppa Pig felt more representative and 89.2% more relatable than other children’s programming, while 80.3% agreed Daddy Pig was a pop-culture icon. The exposed wave also recorded 86.9% purchase intent, +16.9pp versus control, and 91.3% parent permission to watch or engage, +13.6pp.
Most importantly, the campaign drove action for NDCS: £57,000+ raised, a 280% increase in Google search interest, 267% growth in active website users, 390% growth in key conversion events, and a 770% increase in users expressing interest in fundraising.
