INTEGRATED CAMPAIGN: VIRGIN MONEY LONDON MARATHON • 4media group UK

4media group were commissioned by Virgin Money to mark the 2019 London Marathon via an integrated PR campaign. The London Marathon is the world’s biggest annual fundraising event. This year, early projections reveal that donations will total over a fifth more than last year – which breaks all previous records as well. The broadcast day was fronted by Olympic Medallist and World and Commonwealth Champion Iwan Thomas.

New research by Marathon sponsors Virgin Money was released, which profiled the typical runner. Two thirds of young people surveyed say that running a marathon is on their bucket list. 6 in 10 say that their biggest barriers include not being fit enough. And encouragement is also a big factor that people think about; people say that they would need support from others to maintain their motivation if they were to run a marathon. Many would need support on the day, while others would want someone to help with fundraising and donations.

The research also revealed just how dedicated the average runner is. The average training plan is 20 weeks long. Runners are also proven to be strong psychologically, with the majority benefitting from positive mental health during training and after running. A quarter (24%) of marathon runners also say their biggest motivator to keep going whilst undergoing training is the knowledge that they are going to raise money for charity.

People surveyed are also willing to sacrifice a lot to keep up with their marathon training. Over a third would be willing to forego alcohol (35%) or eating treats (34%) – and more than 1 in 4 would even give up late nights as a whole.

The Marathon took place on Sunday the 28th April with their Charity of the Year, Dementia Revolution – Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK joined forces to lead the charge towards a cure.

The campaign secured extensive media coverage across print, online and broadcast platforms. Highlights include The Daily Express, The Sun, Sky News, LBC, ITV News, TalkSport, 19 regional BBC stations including BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Manchester and more.