PR Campaigns That Changed Our Lives: Elke De Mayer from Wavemakers
By Jamie Kerr
When crafting the idea for the series ‘PR Campaigns that Changed Our Lives’, there was definitely a bit of hesitancy that we’d struggle to live up to the name. Thankfully, after speaking to Elke De Mayer, CEO and managing director of PR agency, Wavemakers, our space ally, no one could dispute the life-changing nature of the campaign she brought to the table.
In Belgium, where Wavemakers is based, the most common life-threatening hereditary disease is Mucoviscidosis, commonly known as cystic fibrosis. Every year the Mucoviscidosis Association (Mucovereniging), a charity dedicated to young people who suffer from the condition, organizes an annual fundraising week through the sale of unique socks, to combat the costly nature of the condition.
For the 2022 campaign, Wavemakers came up with a way to shake up the formula, which had previously consisted of involving Belgian influencers to drum up interest. The twist… to get politicians involved! By encouraging well-known mayors to offer their support through campaign videos, a whole new platform was created. Additionally, this served as a win-win situation for the politicians, who were able to spread awareness for a great cause, and highlight their caring and emphatic traits in an effective and sincere way.
By the end of the 2022 campaign, a total of 66 online articles had been posted, with 38 printed articles published. There were also an impressive 17 radio and TV appearances. In total, the campaign reached 32 million people. The influencer campaign resulted in a reach of 246,685 people and 428 clicks to the mucoweek.be website.
“It’s not always easy to measure the effect of a PR campaign, here it was very measurable,” Elke says of the award-winning campaign, which gained the support from mayors from as many as 180 Belgian cities and municipalities, with Antwerp’s Mayor Bart De Wever and Genk’s Mayor Wim Dries on the Flemish side even pulling on their Mucosocks and joining locals with cystic fibrosis for a walk around the city!
The campaign was not only incredibly successful, selling 16,000 socks and raising 160,000 euros for scientific research into the condition, but also fulfilling for those involved! With the money raised making a difference to the lives of young people in Belgium, Elke expressed her joy at getting the opportunity to work on such a crucial project, “Sometimes with PR, the first response is to get the reach. We got to really know who we did it for, and the effect it had on their lives”.
In the world of PR, the success of Wavemakers' campaign for the Mucoviscidosis Association in 2022 stands as a shining example of how creativity, compassion, and determination can come together to make a real, tangible impact. This heartwarming story not only raised funds for a crucial cause but also touched the lives of countless individuals in Belgium. It's a testament to the power of effective PR campaigns to change lives and remind us that, sometimes, the most remarkable transformations happen when we combine our talents with a heartfelt mission.
