Not-for-profit: MyFarm boosts National Trust's image

Campaign MyFarm
Client The National Trust
PR team In-house
Timescale May 2011
Budget £45,000

Objectives

• To increase awareness of the National Trust's role in UK farming
• To engage with national and international audiences
• To target key influencers and get them to contribute to the campaign.

Strategy and plan

The PR team created MyFarm, a real-life version of Facebook game FarmVille, to attract 10,000 subscribers paying £30 to make decisions for the NT's Wimpole Farm in Cambridgeshire. National and international journalists, bloggers and Twitter users were encouraged to take part, alongside 3.8 million readers of the NT's magazine. A YouTube video trailer was commissioned.

Measurements and evaluation

The campaign achieved widespread print, broadcast and online coverage including in The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph. It also gained exposure in Australia, Canada, India and the Far East.

Results

In 48 hours, the website attracted more than 26,900 unique hits and 1,300 subscribers, 13 per cent of its overall target. The NT was a top-ten Twitter trend on MyFarm's launch day. The campaign has been shortlisted for a PRWeek Award.