Create a brand-new event

Mission:Possible for Virgin Unite

Audience insight: “We’re incredibly competitive people”

So said a member of Virgin staff describing the rivalry between Virgin companies in a conversation about the company’s irreverent corporate culture. And that’s where the big creative idea, strategy and name was born for a runaway success: the Mission:Possible campaign.

Here’s the story. Virgin Unite, the non-profit foundation of the Virgin Group, had engaged us to bring all Virgin Companies together – and their 35,000 staff – to raise a huge amount to help disadvantaged young people in the UK. They wanted a fundraising event to coincide with Virgin taking over sponsoring the London Marathon. Anything was possible as long as it was flexible – and cheap!

Kicking off with a ‘guerrilla marketing event’ – a personal video message from Richard Branson, delivered by a runner to the Chief Executive of every Virgin company – it became the most successful group-wide fundraising effort ever. Staff running the marathon got a rousing training DVD; those who wanted to raise money in other ways got an online fundraising toolkit – full of ideas we conceived – to stir them on to raise the most money.

Altogether the campaign raised £2 million. Mission Possible indeed!