THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

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From the 9th Annual Shorty Impact Awards

Kurve x Sweatcoin: Stepping Up for Charity Giving

Finalist in Lifestyle & Wellness

Objectives

In an increasingly polarised and turbulent world, vulnerable communities experience the most harm. Protecting and uplifting them is the starting point for creating positive change. 

Purpose-driven step tracker Sweatcoin achieves just that by helping users support charitable causes while staying healthy. Sweatcoins, a new generation digital currency, can be spent on cool products or donated through Sweatcoin for Good (S4G), where users can support different charitable initiatives every week.

In spring 2024, Sweatcoin and partnering marketing agency Kurve created two major campaigns centred around inclusivity and empowerment. The key goals were to increase reach and engagement while producing a tangible impact in the fight against hunger, a global issue affecting 720 million people worldwide.

Dedicated to fasting and reflection, Ramadan is observed by billions of people across the world. To celebrate it, Sweatcoin partnered with Embrace Relief to support their International Hunger Relief project. With the key message ‘Turn your daily walks into something truly meaningful’, participants were given the opportunity to donate Sweatcoins to vulnerable communities in Africa and Yemen, and to children in partner orphanages globally.

In honour of International Women's Month, Sweatcoin launched the Empower Her Sweatcoin Club, celebrating women's financial and physical strength. With the key message ‘Empowerment starts with you’, each user meeting their S4G goals donated six goats to three women in Ethiopia, helping them become agro-entrepreneurs and improving their families’ quality of life.

Strategy and Execution

According to a 2023 Sweatcoin survey, 75% of users agree that having the option to walk for charity is a source of extra motivation to stay active while 45% value the convenience of being able to donate without using real cash. Giving people the opportunity to fulfil their need to do good without breaking the bank is essential, especially in times of economic uncertainty, 

We built our strategy based on these insights combined with a cross-platform approach.

For the Ramadan campaign, we focused on promoting the mission of Sweatcoin for Good (S4G) which is to amplify the value of users’ steps via charitable initiatives. By collaborating with non-for-profits sponsored by partnering brands or by Sweatcoin itself, S4G provides monetary value to the Sweatcoins that users donate to the causes they have at heart.

With climate change exacerbating the threat of hunger as a global problem and Ramadan being a religious observance revolving around food and the act of giving, supporting the Hunger Relief project was particularly significant.

Our marketing strategy included TikTok and Facebook Ads and in-app events and it focused on deploying social media assets across selected key regions while leveraging iOS in-app events to reach users globally at no extra costs. Thanks to this approach, Sweatcoin successfully secured an App Store feature which contributed to increase the campaign’s visibility and provided a great user experience from first ad impression through to first steps tracked.

For the Empower Her campaign, we leveraged Sweatcoin’s clubs – themed Sweatcoin-led, influencer-led or partner-led groups that give members the opportunity to create community and win rewards by competing against each other in different activities. Sweatcoin invited participants of the Empower Her club to join fun step challenges and an exclusive auction with the overall mission of improving women’s health while enhancing their financial strength.

The main channels to encourage users to join these initiatives were Instagram stories and iOS in-app events. The activations included:

🏃‍♀️ Week 1: Seven day “Empower her: stepping towards success together” 50k step challenge leading up to March 8 (International Women's day).

🏃‍♀️ Week 2: S4G campaign “Change the lives of women in Ethiopia” in partnership with charity Embrace Relief.

🏃‍♀️ Week 3: Seven day “She can Mint too” 50k challenge focused on women’s financial power and crypto. 

🏃‍♀️ Week 4: An exclusive auction for Empower Her club members.

Both campaigns received an overwhelming response as shown by the results achieved.

Results

Connecting with users on key moments in our collective calendars and leveraging the immersive power of cross-platform campaigns validated the initial research findings and confirmed the increasing relevance of social good initiatives. This approach allowed us to attain our growth objectives, social impact ambitions and fundraising goals:

Sweatcoin x Embrace Relief - Ramadan

Empower Her - International Women’s Month 

Media

Entrant Company / Organization Name

Kurve, Sweatcoin

Links

Entry Credits