The #RBCGolf4Kids program was developed with the goal of establishing RBC as a catalyst for digital and social conversation. RBC hoped to increase awareness and support for several children's charities through an engaging campaign that incorporated the Team RBC golfers in addition to RBC's two golf tournaments: the RBC Heritage and RBC Canadian Open.
The initiative was implemented with three key objectives in mind:
1. To increase social brand awareness.
2. To foster social brand affinity.
3. To drive social traffic to RBC.
#RBCGolf4Kids was a one-of-a-kind friendly competition, directly benefiting children. Designed as a cross-platform social and digital media campaign, the initiative pitted Team RBC golfers against each other in a social competition to see who could rally their respective fan bases to share their unique hashtag (i.e. #RBCMcDowell) the most. By sharing the hashtag on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, fans helped both their favorite player and his or her children's charity of choice to a greater share of the donation dollars. In total, RBC donated $312,000 to the children's charities selected by the members of Team RBC.
Furthermore, the #RBCGolf4Kids campaign enabled RBC to become part of conversations around golf and children's charities simultaneously, and demonstrated how its ambassadors "make their mark" off the golf course through unique philanthropic initiatives and positive community relations.
Not only was #RBCGolf4Kids the biggest social media campaign that RBC has ever executed, but also it was one of the most expansive philanthropic social media initiatives ever performed over multiple social and digital platforms.
The #RBCGolf4Kids campaign showcased the power, influence and impact of social media through a collaborative campaign that directly benefitted children's charities. It was a 15-week campaign that ended on July 27th, 2014, and unlike most influencer campaigns, #RBCGolf4Kids brought together eleven professional golfers:
Each golfer competed for donations to a children's charity of their choice, but worked together for the greater good. The campaign exceeded every expectation because of the extent to which it generated organic conversations around RBC, produced engaging organic content, leveraged key influencers, and gave back to the community in a unique and innovative way. In total, over $300,000 was donated to nine different charities during the campaign.
A Team RBC "selfie" photo taken during the RBC Heritage Classic golf tournament kicked off the campaign. The photo received a lot of attention and generated an enormous volume of social engagement in a short time. From there, the campaign took off, seeing involvement from a diverse spectrum of individuals across all the major social platforms, producing results that included:
Furthermore, the #RBCGolf4Kids microsite received:
All of these engagements resulted in a campaign that became the most prevalent and most impactful social media campaign that RBC has ever executed. Additionally, RBC received a substantial return on the campaign, with an estimated media value of $847MM across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, campaign influencer accounts, and onsite promotions at two PGA TOUR tournaments.
The success of the campaign was driven by the eleven RBC players who actively participated and engaged with fans and key influencers. These influencers, comprised of either brands or individuals who have large social media followings and took an active interest in engaging in the campaign, played an important role in spreading the word about #RBCGolf4Kids. They accounted for over 132MM impressions, which established campaign authenticity and allowed RBC to reach new audiences. Notable influencers included Niall Horan of One Direction, Donald Trump, Samuel L. Jackson, Lance Armstrong, and WWE wrestler Sheamus.
Not only was #RBCGolf4Kids the biggest social media campaign that RBC has ever executed, but it was also one of the most expansive philanthropic social media initiatives ever performed over multiple social and digital platforms.
