Best Non-profit Online Campaign

Project Overview:
The dZi Foundation was asked to participate in Les Trois Etapes, a 3-day pro-am cycling challenge taken on by a team of 5 American cyclists in the French Alps. The goal was for each team to raise $100,000 to go towards their respective charity. Faction Media supported the effort by developing this interactive and visually arresting microsite through which a majority of the donations were made, meeting and surpassing the goal to $160,000 raised.

Objectives:
The site needed to help potential donors immerse themselves in the event. Large format photography and HTML5 were used to create something that felt simple friendly, and rich. Since the main goal of the site was to collect donations, a live tracker was an important feature that permeated the user experience. A ticker that counted down to the event start also added a sense of urgency to the effort.

A simple architecture highlighting the commitment of the riders and the tough course added to the experience. From a user experience standpoint, response mechanisms for donation were featured on every page, and in context of the overall story.

Target Audience:
The dZi Foundation has longstanding partnerships in the outdoor enthusiast market – climbers, trekkers, etc. They’ve targeted this core audience in past donation efforts, and this event was intended to open a new market of affluent active individuals who can sympathize with their message – cyclists. The baseline target demographics are both men and women, age 23-40, who are active and charitable.

Strategy:
The strategy of the event and the support site is simple - open a new market for the dZi Foundation in the cycling community, and provide a rich online experience for collecting donations.

Creative:
Keep the story simple and channel interest to action in the form of donations. More show, less tell – featuring high quality, large format photography to create a sympathetic human connection.

Results:
The #1 goal was to raise at least $100,000 which was met and surpassed by an additional $60,000. The clients and community were overwhelmingly impressed and grateful for the site – from a design and UX perspective. Faction Media will be updating the site for the 2013 event, as well as creating a UK version for a second dZi Foundation team. Experience it at: http://www.endlessascent.org

Contributors:

FACTION MEDIA

Location: United States