Digital Strategy

My primary responsibility was to lead the development of the comprehensive digital strategy for the Blue Nose Marathon, aiming to achieve their ambitious goal of 10,000 registrants in 2025.

In this leadership capacity, I first conducted in-depth platform research to identify where the target audience for a mass participation running event would be most active and receptive to advertising. Leveraging historical data from previous Blue Nose Marathon campaigns, I analyzed past audience engagement and conversion patterns to pinpoint high-performing segments.

Based on these insights, I defined the precise digital advertising assets required across key platforms. Furthermore, I directly assisted the client in the creation and optimization of these ad creatives. A significant part of my contribution involved generating all ad copy for both Google Search Ads (headlines, descriptions) and Meta Ads (primary text, headlines, and descriptions), ensuring messaging was compelling, platform-optimized, and aligned with the strategic objectives. This end-to-end involvement in defining, assisting, and creating ensured the digital advertising efforts were strategically sound and geared for maximum impact.

While the overarching goal for the Blue Nose Marathon was to reach 10,000 registrants, the client specifically requested that the digital campaign allocate increased attention to driving registrations for the shorter race distances. This meant a particular emphasis was placed on boosting participation in the:

• Doctors Nova Scotia Youth 2KM & 4KM

• Purple Cow 5KM

• GoodLife FITNESS 10KM

This focused effort allowed me to tailor messaging and targeting to better resonate with individuals interested in these accessible and highly popular race categories.

My strategic approach for the Blue Nose Marathon campaign was rooted in a comprehensive analysis of historical performance data and a multi-channel deployment designed to engage audiences across the entire marketing funnel.

I began with in-depth quantitative research, leveraging three years of past performance data. This historical analysis was critical in identifying which audiences consistently demonstrated the highest levels of engagement and conversion on previous digital advertising efforts. I also utilized Google Analytics data to cross-reference and further validate these insights, providing a holistic view of user behavior on the client's website.

From this data foundation, I developed several key strategic initiatives:

• Lookalike Audience Generation: I built multiple lookalike audiences for each of the prioritized shorter distances (2KM & 4KM, 5KM, 10KM). This was based directly on the behavioral patterns of previous years' participants, allowing me to efficiently target new, highly relevant prospects with similar characteristics to proven converters.

• Past Participant Re-engagement: A core component of the strategy involved re-engaging with previous participants. By leveraging their registration history, I deployed targeted campaigns designed to encourage them to register again for the 2025 event, ideally for the same distance they had enjoyed previously.

For channels, I prioritized a full-funnel approach:

• Conversion-Focused Initiatives (Cold Audience Acquisition): My primary focus for driving conversions from cold audiences was on Google Search Ads and Meta Ads. These platforms were chosen for their strong capabilities in capturing intent (Google Search) and reaching broad, yet precisely segmented, audiences (Meta), making them ideal for converting individuals actively searching for or receptive to running event opportunities.

• Brand Awareness & Reach: To build overall event visibility and create top-of-funnel demand, I utilized StackAdapt for digital audio ads. These were strategically placed across major music and podcast domains including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, CBC, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Bell Media, and Rogers. Crucially, these audio ads were geo-targeted to locations near gyms and recreation centers to capture individuals with a demonstrated interest in health and fitness, as well as within residential areas to effectively reach families with children. Concurrently, YouTube was deployed for video advertising to further amplify brand awareness through highly engaging visual content.

• Remarketing & Retention: For effective remarketing and to capture interested but unconverted individuals, I implemented Google Display Ads and Meta Display Ads. These campaigns specifically targeted past year participants, nurturing their interest to drive repeat registrations, as well as individuals who had visited the Blue Nose Marathon website but had not completed their registration, serving as a powerful nudge towards conversion.

This layered approach, combining data-driven audience insights with a diversified channel strategy, allowed me to systematically address the client's goal of 10,000 registrants while strategically emphasizing the shorter race distances.

The digital strategy I developed and executed yielded significant results, demonstrating effective resource allocation and a strong return on investment across key platforms.

Google and Meta Ads: Driving High-Intent Conversions

Both Google and Meta advertising platforms delivered a strong Return on Ad Spend (ROAS), a clear indicator of highly effective targeting and compelling ad creative. This strong ROAS underscores the efficiency with which advertising dollars were converted into registrations. A key demographic for conversions across both platforms was consistently the 25-44 age group, which informed ongoing optimization efforts.

Specifically:

• Google Search campaigns proved highly effective in capturing high-intent traffic, directly reaching individuals actively searching for race registration opportunities.

• Meta Ads successfully leveraged their robust social media targeting capabilities to drive registrations, engaging a broad yet relevant audience with tailored messaging.

Digital Audio: Amplifying Brand Awareness and Reach

The digital audio campaigns successfully achieved their primary objective of amplifying brand awareness and reach for the Blue Nose Marathon. These campaigns effectively connected with the target audience, particularly individuals interested in music, health and wellness, and the local community.

While direct revenue attribution was not the primary goal for this channel, its effectiveness is best evaluated through metrics such as reach and frequency, confirming that the event's visibility was significantly extended across key audio domains. This top-of-funnel presence was crucial in building overall interest and supporting subsequent conversion efforts on other platforms.

• Total Registrations: 10,262 

  • Goal Attainment: 102.62% of target achieved

Strong Growth in Key Metrics: Digital Ads have shown growth in Conversions (Registrations) (26.08% growth 2024/2025) and Conversion Value (20.57% growth 2024/2025). This indicates increasing effectiveness in driving registrations and revenue.

Exceptional ROAS: The Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) is incredibly high, exceeding 1000% in 2024 and maintaining that level in 2025 (1,033.51%). This means for every dollar spent on ads, over ten dollars are generated in return, signifying highly efficient ad campaigns.

This campaign was a powerful demonstration of how to leverage historical success for future growth. My key learning centered on the immense power of year-over-year data in digital strategy. By meticulously analyzing past performance, I was able to build directly on previous successes, identifying high-converting audiences and effective strategies to systematically work towards the client's ambitious registration goals.

The overall success of this campaign clearly underscores the strength of a balanced digital approach. By strategically combining focused conversion efforts (like targeted Google and Meta Ads) with broader awareness initiatives (such as geo-targeted digital audio), I was able to boost both participation volume, especially for the prioritized shorter distances, and overall event engagement. This holistic methodology proved critical in achieving the client's objectives.