Case Study: Pip Hare Ocean Racing social media strategy and management.

Overview

Pip Hare is a Poole based British offshore solo sailor who wanted to define her brand story and social media strategy ahead of racing in the Vendée Globe, a 24,000 mile solo sailing race around the world. Known as the ‘Everest of the Seas’, it’s one of the most gruelling endurance races on the planet, taking sailors on a circumnavigation of the globe, crossing areas like the unforgiving Southern Ocean and Point Nemo, the most remote place in the world. 

The brief

We joined Pip’s campaign in 2020 ahead of her first Vendée Globe campaign. Backed by a number of sponsors and partners, Pip wanted to grow her social media presence, build a loyal community, attract additional partners and sponsors, and amplify her story on a global stage to raise the profile of British sailing. 

Our approach

We started out by crafting a unique social strategy to tell the story of Pip’s journey alongside the magnitude of the challenge to come. Working on brand positioning, social media strategy, key messaging and content planning, we crafted a compelling narrative and proposition that filtered across all digital channels. 

Our social media strategy was steeped in audience insights and competitor research, looking at what others were doing in the market and finding the white space for Pip to play in. Our story centred around a number of unique points; Pip’s own story as a 50+ female sailor in a male-dominated sport alongside the race itself - more men have walked on the moon than women have completed the Vendée Globe. 

At the beginning of the 2020 race we set out a rich content calendar and social media strategy revolving around three core pillars - mind, body and boat. And we created content across all pillars to bring the brand story to life. From sharing nutrition ideas and recipes that kept Pip fuelled to boat tours and technical talk-throughs, our content was dynamic and diverse to cater to the different audiences following the story. 

As well as storytelling, social media management and analytics tracking, we also built on brand partnerships, collaborating with brands like Helly Hansen, SunGod, Arksen, and Highfield Honda to create content that maximised reach. We continued working with Pip during her next campaign in 2024. 

Results

As well as achieving international coverage across social media (and a mention from Hollywood actor Russell Crowe), we achieved huge growth across platforms during the four-year campaign.

• Cultivated a strong community: taking followers from 6k to 100k+ across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and TikTok

• Built loyal brand partnerships: regularly collaborating with brands to amplify stories such as the Helly Hansen film The Ocean: Where I Belong 

• 8.2M reach from solo sailing world records

• 50,000+ books sold: In My Element which became an Amazon adventure and solo travel bestseller

• Global documentaries

• Multiple features across BBC, ITV, The Times, Telegraph, Sky, and more

To find out how we can help your business with social strategy, planning or management get in touch.