Dec 14 2009
PR Week’s New Consultancy of the Year to implement integrated online awareness campaign
London, 14 December 2009 – The Royal Institution (www.Rigb.org), one of the UK’s oldest and most respected science-based communities has appointed Diffusion to run an integrated digital campaign to promote its annual Christmas Lectures. First delivered by Michael Faraday in 1825 and an iconic fixture of the festive TV schedule since 1966, the 2009 Christmas Lectures will be the first to take advantage of digital platforms to deliver an interactive audience experience.
The 2009 Lectures titled “The 300 million years war” will have a strong environmental theme, examining the complex relationship between animal and plant life. Diffusion will be using digital and traditional media channels to reach out to young people, teachers and parents to drive viewers to the lectures which will for the first time be broadcast on More 4 between 21st and 25th December. The agency has also been tasked with driving traffic to the Royal Institution website, which will host new interactive digital content and services.
The Lectures will be delivered by leading UK ecologist Prof Sue Hartley and viewers will be able to ask her questions about each programme via a live web chat straight after each show, as well as submit questions in real-time using Twitter and Facebook. The RI has also developed digital content to download to encourage viewers to conduct their own experiments at home with their friends and family and then share tips and their results via the RI website.
Ivan Ristic, Director, Diffusion commented, “Our experience shows that digital channels and online communities need to be central to any campaign trying to engage with young people. The RI has recognised this, both in the interactive format of this year’s Christmas Lectures and in the design of PR campaign it wanted to promote the 2009 shows.”
Olympia Brown, Senior YPP Coordinator, The Royal Institution comments, “The Christmas Lectures at the Royal Institution are an established part of the British Christmas, having run since 1825. The key for us was to work with an agency which was able to take this sense of heritage and maintain relevance to a modern audience. We were impressed with Diffusion’s expertise in reaching out and engaging with young audiences online and being able to use digital content to drive online traffic.”
