CHC Case Study: Get On Board
How a Community Event Helped Build a Successful Brand
In recent years, Get On Board, Be Richmond’s popular paddle board plastic river clean-up event has become well established in the Richmond calendar, engaging with all sections of the business and residential communities and generating significant media coverage.
The event, which was created by CHC, epitomises important elements of Be Richmond’s core brand values in terms of business, community and environment and showcases one of the town’s most important assets – the River Thames.
Get On Board is also an excellent example of how to use an event to build and establish a successful brand.
The concept can be traced back to late 2017, shortly after CHC had introduced Be Richmond as the ‘brand persona’ of the recently launched of Richmond Business Improvement District (BID). Key marketing objectives at the time were to:
- Generate sustained brand awareness among business and residential communities within the Richmond BID footprint
- Engage with levy-paying businesses and their employees
- Engage with the local community
- Promote the town
- Support local charities
- Enhance the environment
Following discussions with the client, CHC proposed that a river-linked event was the most effective route to achieve the above objectives because:
- The stretch of river through Richmond is stunning
- The river attracts visitors for recreation, shopping and dining
- The river encourages business investment in the town
- The river showcases the town to the wider world
River-themed ideas suggested included creating a waterfront beach (as per Paris Plage) a fun-themed regatta event and an event linked to paddle boarding. Following discussions with stakeholders, it was agreed that CHC would produce a study to assess the feasibility of community event featuring paddle boarding which would provide a point of difference.
In terms of branding and marketing, CHC identified the following areas for action:
- Event aims
- Theme
- Branding
- Recruitment
- Community involvement
- Media coverage
Logistical items for consideration included:
- Safety
- Training
- Provision of equipment
- Route
- Official approval
Looking first at logistics, CHC approached several paddle board training companies. After careful review, it was clear that only one business, Active360 based at Kew Bridge, had the necessary experience, resources and contacts to satisfy all the logistical and safety selection criteria.
From a marketing perspective, the event had to be much more than a ‘jolly’. In order to achieve gravitas and attract media interest, it had to have a greater purpose. Research conducted by CHC showed that plastic pollution in the Thames was a growing problem and that microplastics were being found in fish in the river, which in turn was affecting the wider food chain. Also, plastic pollution of the oceans was becoming a well-publicised global issue and it was widely agreed among experts that the bulk of the plastic polluting the oceans originated in rivers.
It was therefore agreed that the Be Richmond paddle board event would focus on clearing plastic from an iconic stretch of the river Thames between Kew Bridge and Richmond.
The event was themed ‘Get On Board – Say No to Plastic Pollution’ and the date was set for 21 June 2018.
Paddle boarders recruited from local businesses would operate on the water clearing hard-to-access islands and channels, whilst volunteer litter pickers from the community would remove plastic from the towpath areas on the route.
Ninety paddle boarders were recruited and trained and a similar number of volunteers from the community, including residents, charities and schools were signed up for the towpath clear up.
Event mechanics and safety protocols were approved by the Port of London Authority who oversee all activities in the tidal area of the River Thames (which includes Richmond).
Pre-event boosted by Keep Britain Tidy who featured it on their website and social channels.
On the day, the event was covered live by Sky News, with pre-event footage at Kew and additional filming at Richmond Lock (see clip below). BBC Radio conducted a live interview during the event.
See 2018 TV Coverage below
An estimated one tonne of waste was cleared from the river. This was either recycled or used to generate ‘green’ electricity.
There was considerable post-event coverage from numerous print and online channels.
2018 Get On Board Video
The event was so successful that the following year it attracted over 500 participants on the water and on the towpath and an estimated £40,000 of TV coverage over 2 days.
After a Covid-hiatus in 2020, a sold-out Get On Board returned in 2021 again generating significant TV coverage.