Calypso takes Xtreme Descent to New Heights

“With the success of Xtreme Descent in 2009, Calypso was the obvious choice to take this year’s event to the next level,” said Greg Osborn, director of marketing and public relations for the Daniel Webster Council. “2010 was great and we look forward to continuing to grow our social media presence with Calypso in the future.”

Think

On September 25, 2010 the Daniel Webster Council (DWC) of the Boy Scouts of America hosted the second annual Xtreme Descent, a branded local urban rappelling fundraiser, which coincided with a yearlong celebration of the organization’s 100^th anniversary. The intense adventure experience, facilitated by professional urban rappelling company Over the Edge, provided participants the unique opportunity to rappel Manchester’s Brady Sullivan Building, one of the tallest buildings in New Hampshire, both during the day and, for extreme adventurers, at night as well. For the second consecutive year, the DWC enlisted Calypso’s expertise to develop and execute an integrated communications and fundraising campaign to generate buzz, drive participation, and expand local support.

Create

Building on the successful 2009 event launch, which included an “extreme” sport-style branding, compelling print collateral, custom coordinating website, and integrated communications campaign, Calypso worked with the DWC to take the event to new heights in 2010. The agency employed a multifaceted strategy including a new “super hero” theme to highlight the option to rappel at night and engage a younger audience. The 2010 tagline, “Reveal Your Inner Super Hero,” was brought to life with live action super hero “Captain Merit,” played by a DWC camp counselor complete with mask and cape. Captain Merit made several appearances in local communities, interviewing residents about their super hero aspirations. A cardboard “flat Stanley” version of Captain Merit also traveled the region for a variety of local community photo opportunities. The photos and videos of Captain Merit served as additional fodder for the campaign, creating attention grabbing, captivating content and for both traditional media relations outreach and online sharing. To further expand the theme, a new website was designed using Captain Merit images from a custom photo shoot and included an efficient fundraising platform. Incorporating the character into the campaign added an extra dimension and consistent voice, allowing DWC to be both safe, and bold.

To build local awareness, increase online engagement, and drive daring young professionals to the event, Calypso launched a social media campaign including engagement across multiple social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo, and the Xtreme Descent blog. Event mascot Captain Merit was a focal point to the campaign, symbolizing the courageous act of participating in an urban rappelling fundraiser in support of the DWC. Calypso created a Twitter page for the super hero mascot, using it to express a fun, competitive tone. Captain Merit engaged with people in the online community, tweeting out super hero words of wisdom and challenging citizens to take the “Xtreme Descent,” all from his own Twitter account.

Calypso also launched and maintained the Xtreme Descent website, which provided visitors information about the event, including event history, a description of the DWC, and press releases, as well as details on Captain Merit and his activities, rappelling, fundraising, and more.

Deliver

The three month social media campaign developed an online community that grew slowly and steadily, creating valuable online interactions and generating substantial online buzz in the weeks leading up to the event. In just one month, website traffic increased nearly 1000 percent with 50 percent of visits from referring sites; 30 percent of total traffic was generated by the Xtreme Descent Facebook Fan Page. Calypso attracted new fans to the DWC Fan Page, many of which commented on photos, videos, and the DWCs’ Facebook wall. The blog initiated conversations and great feedback from people who were interested in participating, had participated the year before, and those who still had questions. Calypso engaged many Twitter followers through consistent updates and interactions with a like-minded audience, including local climbing and hiking clubs, athletic groups, and New Hampshire Chambers of Commerce.

In the final days leading up to the event, both the Captain Merit and Xtreme Descent Twitter pages featured enthusiastic interactions, which heightened online excitement for the event. Team and individual sign ups continued right up until the day of the event. Two rappelling teams signed up for Xtreme Descent with just one week left to raise money and promoted the event by writing about it on their own blogs.

The DWC reached their goal, securing one hundred rappellers to take the “Xtreme Descent.” Following the event, the conversation continued, building more equity to gear up for next year’s fundraiser. Online chatter after the event discussed many positive experiences, as participants shared their adventure with the world on personal blogs and with the Xtreme Descent Facebook and Twitter communities. Stay tuned for 2011.

“I’m part of the NH Rockclimbing Meetup team and what a blast! I met some great folks with the Boys Scouts as well as Over The Edge and also, got to use descending equipment that rocks! Many thanks to all on this fundraiser!”

– Lovena Pao Harwood, NH Rockclimbing Meetup

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