UCT Athletics - 10Km Memorial Race, Ticket Sales
Oliver Kopp
Full Stack Marketing
Forty-one years ago, the life of Merrilyn Smith, a talented athlete and graduate from the University of Cape Town, was tragically cut short in a domestic accident. The following year, in 1983, UCT included a competition for the Merrilyn Smith Trophy (to the first woman home) in their annual 16km road race.
Following a number of iterations in distance and venue, the UCT 10km Memorial Race has become a ‘must run’ fixture for many, providing an opportunity to remember a number of former UCT athletes who left us too early while enjoying the challenge of an undulating course through leafy Newlands.
The Challenge
Low Awareness, Complex Collaboration
This event started with little to no online presence. Its social media accounts were practically non-existent, leaving a significant gap in awareness. To add to the complexity, it wasn’t just one team running the show. Collaborating with UCT meant working with heads of departments, sponsors, and athletes—each with their own priorities and expectations.
Budget Constraints
With a tight budget, every rand spent had to count. There was no room for waste, which meant we needed a creative and efficient approach to get the most out of limited resources.
Building from Scratch
The digital foundation was, well, non-existent. No ad accounts, no tracking, no pre-built audiences. We had to construct everything from the ground up, laying the infrastructure for both short-term impact and long-term results.
The challenge was clear: create buzz, attract attendees, and deliver tangible results—all while navigating multiple stakeholders and working within tight budget constraints.
The Approach
Our Objectives
We set out to achieve a bold and ambitious set of goals that aligned with the spirit of the event:
Build Awareness
Put the event on the map, establishing its presence in a digital space that previously didn’t exist.Create Hype
Spark excitement within the road running community, turning this event into a must-attend moment.Design Event-Specific Merchandise
Foster a sense of belonging and community among attendees with carefully designed event merch.Create Impactful Content
Craft content that speaks directly to the heart of the diverse road running community, blending inspiration and engagement.Communicate the Event’s Legacy
Highlight the event's history and meaning, connecting the past and present to elevate its significance.Sell Tickets
Ultimately, drive ticket sales by turning awareness and excitement into action.
Our Strategy
With the objectives in place, we developed a detailed, efficient strategy to bring this vision to life:
Clear Roadmap
Built a transparent project plan in our project management system. This roadmap outlined every milestone, ensuring all stakeholders—UCT departments, sponsors, and athletes—were aligned and able to track progress in real time.Deep Research
Studied successful road race events to uncover winning strategies, adapting them to fit the unique character of this event.Leverage UCT’s Archives
Dived into the UCT archives to unearth rich, historical content that underscored the memorial aspect of the event.Bridge the Past and Present
Created new content featuring current UCT athletes, skillfully connecting the legacy of the event to the modern road running community.Targeted Distribution
Focused heavily on META platforms (Facebook and Instagram), crafting campaigns with clear and simple calls-to-action to maximize reach and engagement.Advanced Analytics
Set up sophisticated tracking and analytics tools to measure performance and provide actionable insights, ensuring the strategy could adapt in real-time.
By combining data-driven tactics with a deep respect for the event's legacy, we ensured every step of the strategy worked towards creating a memorable and impactful experience.
The Results
Through a combination of strategic planning, precise execution, and compelling content, we achieved exceptional results for the UCT 10km Memorial Race. Here's what the numbers tell us:
Revenue & Attendance
Revenue Generated: R73,200
Total Entries: 676, with an astounding 672 being first-time participants.
Cancellation Rate: Only 4 entries, showcasing strong commitment and successful attendee engagement.
Traffic & Engagement
Website Traffic:
43.6k sessions and 88.2k page views, with a low bounce rate of just 12.1%, indicating highly engaging content and effective landing pages.
Conversion Rate: 6.7%, driving significant ticket sales directly from our campaigns.
Mobile First: 95.1% of traffic came from mobile devices, emphasizing the importance of mobile-optimized content.
Paid Media Performance
Reach: Over 322,000 people, with 692,704 impressions, making the campaign highly visible in its target community.
Engagement:
62,411 link clicks at an efficient CPC of R0.16.
A remarkable 9.6% CTR, showcasing the precision of our targeting and content strategy.
Content Engagement
Post Interactions: 105,941 engagements, amplifying the event’s presence across social platforms.
Video Success:
10,640 people watched videos in full, with significant drop-off rates only beginning after the 75% mark, reflecting strong content retention.
The Impact
These numbers aren't just metrics; they represent a movement. From selling out tickets to creating a digital presence from scratch, the UCT 10km Memorial Race transformed into an unforgettable event for the road-running community. By leveraging a focused strategy and impactful storytelling, we didn’t just sell tickets—we built a legacy.
