Life is like a marathon: The more you believe in yourself, the further you’ll go.
As the most inclusive race in the world, the San Francisco Marathon offers a unique opportunity for participants of all backgrounds to ignite their inner courage and discover their authentic selves. By investing in yourself, this unforgettable experience launches anyone on a journey of personal transformation that will enhance and inform the rest of their lives.
With our “Take the First Step” Campaign, we’re aiming to reach a wider audience of potential athletes and allow them to see the event through a new lens: SFM is not just a marathon, it is an opportunity to challenge yourself to step outside of your comfort zone and try something new. In many ways, the San Francisco Marathon is emblematic of positive change, acceptance, and community coming together to support one another.
Success Messaging
APPROACH
1. Lemonade and Studio71 engaged influencers with a history of high engagement to motivate their followers to “take the first step” and run the SFM Marathon with them. Key influencer verticals include:
Health & wellness
Personal & career growth
Athletic trainers
Regional personalities
2. Supplement influencer posts with segmented SMS campaigns, allowing re-targeting opportunities and custom messaging, and grow SFM’s CRM.
3. Utilize affiliate marketing tools to empower smaller creators to get involved and promote the marathon.
4. Brand the influencers as your “Athlete Partners” with the creative concept that “Athletes can be anyone.”
CURATION
Lemonade and Studio71 used a combination of curated influencers (macro and micro) to reach as wide an audience as possible.
Lemonade analyzed the data and determined the best course of action (whether to lower potential deliverables for certain influencers or raise on others) to increase the odds of awareness and visibility across new and younger audiences.
Influencer Messaging
To build authenticity, the audience needs to see the influencer using the race as a metaphor for changing their own lives. We want to follow them as they make the decision to change their life, and why they “took the first step.”
“The SF Marathon challenged me to “take the first step.”
Marathons are daunting but representative of the “concept: You don’t know how strong you are unless you have the courage to simply… try. So, come follow me, take the first step with me, and join me on this journey.”
It’s not about completing – it’s about starting.
PARTNER RESULTS
1. Matt James
2. Kristie Sita
CONVERSION RATE
CONTENT REACH
