#DERBY DAY LIVE

The Epsom Derby holds a prestigious place in the British racing calendar – it is the ‘Blue Riband’ jewel in the Triple Crown. But with the COVID-19 pandemic meaning the thousands usually in attendance would have to watch on remotely, we wanted to turn a potential setback into a springboard.

The Brief

How can we bring fans together as one community, no matter where they are in the country or the world, to share in the unrivalled excitement and social sparkle of The Derby?

How can we reach and introduce the race to a new, younger, more diverse audience who may never have considered horse racing as an experience and sport?

How can we leverage digital innovation in ways that both position us as forward-thinking, and allow us to create valuable lifelong relationships with audiences?

The Concept

7 Instagram Live streams from the Jockey Club’s channel, before and during every race at Epsom.

Hosted by BBC Radio 1’s affable Chris Stark, each race featured one of 7 celebrity guests – from the worlds of sport, music, fashion and entertainment – for fun interviews, race reactions and prize giveaways.

Audiences were incentivised to passionately engage in both the live stream and the racing with the chance to win some money-can’t-buy gifts and experiences, which also helped demonstrate the wider, aspirational lifestyle aspect of The Jockey Club’s brand.

In order to enter, viewers simply had to comment with the name of the horse they were backing for the upcoming race – and proceeded to do so in their hundreds.

Supporting our social content in driving awareness, and creating lifelong digital relationships with our new audience, was our #DerbyDayLIVE Facebook messenger – developed to give more in-depth event information and collect data in an engaging and intuitive way, that spoke to the behaviours of a modern generation.

The Results

1.9m impressions from all campaign content (paid & organic)
83k organic impressions amongst
24-and-under audiences previously unaware of TJC brand
10k views of live broadcast and replays
99.6% open rate and 52% click-through rate on messenger comms