4500 CSR campaign participants
Sector: Bespoke, Built Environment, Utilities
Services: Web Design, Web Development, Branding, Content Marketing, Paid Advertising, PR & Outreach, Social Media Marketing, Email Marketing
The Challenge
Unblocktober
Lanes Group PLC is one of the leading voices in the Environmental Waste sector raising awareness and encouraging action to prevent 2 critical environmental issues:
- The development of fatbergs in sewers
- Plastic pollution in water courses
Lanes, as a market leader, asked I-COM to create a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) campaign that would encourage the public to help prevent these issues, whilst also creating awareness of Lanes.
The Approach
Unblocktober
I-COM devised Unblocktober - the world's first national campaign and awareness month aimed at improving the health of our drains, sewers, watercourses and seas.
Launched in July 2019, Unblocktober participants committed to putting nothing down their drains or toilets except for water, pee, poo and toilet paper.
For the campaign to be effective, we knew it needed to empower people with three key messages:
- You can directly contribute to change
- Make SMALL changes to your habits for a limited amount of time to make a BIG impact
- Now is the time for action
The Overall Results
Unblocktober
Unblocktober has proved so successful that I-COM and Lanes Group PLC made it into an annual event, with ongoing an email marketing, PR and outreach campaigns.
Over the last 5 years, UNBLOCKTOBER has generated 000’s social media followers and newsletter sign ups, empowering individuals, schools and businesses to get behind the initiative.
The Fatberg Fighters campaign for schools was awarded Best CSR Campaign at the 2018 Northern Marketing Awards.
- 289
- Business sign ups
- 5,000+
- Newsletter subscribers
- 39,000+
- Individual sign ups
The Unblocktober campaign was a totally new concept for Lanes Group and we took a leap of faith with the campaign, once the concept had been outlined to us. Lanes’ CSR objectives very much revolve around education, focused around the valuable work that we do on the wastewater and drainage network and educating ‘toilet users’ that their toilet is not a bin especially for the dreaded wipe.
Couple that with how they can all help save the sewers and seas, Unblocktober has a very important environmental message. Connecting the two aspects is very important to create awareness environmentally. Our digital agency I-COM created a very focused campaign with targets and objectives on a very limited budget. Their support throughout the campaign was really important, as the campaign was very fluid developing daily.
The I-COM team were enthusiastic and also hardworking, because they also believed in the campaign objectives. The results speak for themselves. Feedback was good and the campaign received engagement with some high profile supporters who believed that the creative concept was good, so good that they really got behind it.
These stakeholders all have the same aims, objectives and messaging, so it was pleasing to see their support develop. One unified voice creates momentum, and this is exactly what Unblocktober did - using a simple hashtag #Unblocktober many organisations spoke as one voice across social media platforms.
Considering we truly did not know what to expect and how the campaign would be received, we were delighted with the results. We most certainly consider the campaign to be successful and have retained I-COM to assist us with the Unblocktober in 2020.
Michelle Ringland, Head of Marketing at Lanes for Drains
Digital Marketing Specialists
We are I-COM
Formed in 2004, we have grown to be one of Manchester's largest independent digital marketing agencies.
With a large in-house team of specialists we provide a range of digital services including web design, web development, digital marketing, SEO, branding, content marketing, PR and outreach, social media marketing and paid search marketing, we cover every digital marketing need you may have. Call on 0161 402 3170 or use the contact form to get in touch.
