The story behind ITV’s campaign to tackle viewer loneliness
The campaign won in the Best Use of Social Media and Editorial Campaign of the Year categories at The Drum Awards for Online Media 2023.
Good Morning Britain's 1 Million Minutes Campaign Tackles Loneliness with Digital-First Approach
Good Morning Britain launched its ’1 Million Minutes’ campaign during a time of financial hardship, aiming to combat loneliness by encouraging people to donate their time. Through a social-first strategy and engaging digital activations, the campaign reached 230 million and saw people pledge some 117m minutes to combat loneliness.
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The Brief
Good Morning Britain launched the ’1 Million Minutes’ campaign to address the impact of the cost of living crisis and loneliness among people in the UK.
The campaign focused on encouraging people to donate their time instead of money to various charities working with individuals experiencing loneliness.
To overcome limited on-air promotion opportunities, a social-first approach was adopted to deepen engagement with the campaign and drive audience participation.
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The Idea
Leveraging Good Morning Britain’s strong social media presence, the digital team targeted key moments to launch digital-first activations.
’Portraits of Loneliness’ on Instagram showcased celebrities and influencers sharing their experiences of loneliness, while a Twitter Spaces session explored mental health and loneliness.
Celebrities and influencers were actively involved in raising awareness, sharing black-and-white images and personal stories on their social media accounts.
Short video clips of celebrities promoting the campaign were shared on Instagram Stories to amplify the message and drive engagement.
The digital team utilized Twitter Spaces, a live audio tool, for an open discussion on loneliness and mental health, attracting over 1,200 listeners and nearly a million minutes pledged.
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The Results
The campaign achieved an overall social reach of 230 million, representing a 27% increase from the previous year. Over 117m minutes were donated throughout the campaign, contributing to a total of over half a billion minutes pledged since the campaign’s inception.
The ’Portraits of Loneliness’ trend on Instagram reached an estimated 11 million people, with 24 celebrities participating and a combined follower total of 22 million.
The Twitter Spaces session had a positive response, attracting 1,200 listeners within the first 30 minutes and resulting in nearly 1m minutes pledged.
The campaign generated a 93% positive sentiment score – an increase of 9% from the previous year.
This campaign won at The Drum Awards for Online Media 2023. Find out more about The Drum’s Global Awards program or head to our case studies hub to read more award-winning stories.