A partnership with the London Evening Standard and Initiative cemented the association between Audible and running, positioning Audible as the perfect running partner.

1. Newsworks Planning Awards
Agency: Initiative UK
Client: Audible
Campaign: Your Perfect Running Partner
Category: Best newsbrands campaign
Executive summary
By partnering with the London Evening Standard we cemented the association between
Audible and running, positioning Audible as the perfect running partner.
Bespoke research with Runner’s World proved that running with audiobooks was more
enjoyable and improved performance, but we needed a newsbrand partner to communicate
this to the masses. With established links with the London Marathon, London Evening
Standard was the obvious choice.
As London Evening Standard’s key sponsor of run2work day, the campaign received
extensive editorial coverage across both in-paper and online, reinforcing Audible’s credibility
within the running arena.
• 3,500 sign-ups for run2work, each receiving a free Audible download
• 14 pages of editorial and numerous mentions in print, online, Facebook and
Twitter
• 600,00 page impressions on eveningstandard.co.uk newly created running hub

2. Background and objectives
Audible.co.uk is the leading online store
for audiobooks with over 100,000
audiobooks available to download.
Most consumers know what audiobooks
are, but (up until now) hadn’t found a
place for them in their everyday lives.
Our planning priority was to drive
audiobook trial, but we knew this could
only take place if we educated the public
about the benefits of audiobooks.
At the centre of our strategy was the idea
that listening to audiobooks while running
not only improved enjoyment but was also
beneficial for performance.
Bespoke research from Runner’s World
gave us the credibility to back up our
claims, but we needed a major newsbrand
to take this message out to the masses
and help us find a place in the public
consciousness.
We chose the London Evening Standard
due to:
1. Reach
2. Influence
3. Links to the London Marathon and
run2work day
Insight
A research article had challenged the
accepted wisdom that music was the best
partner for running – due to the often-
changing beat. Feedback from our client
suggested that this wasn’t a problem for
audiobooks.
This led us to suspect that recreational
runners could be an as-yet untapped
market for audiobooks. If only we could
prove that runners found them not only
enjoyable but also, crucially, beneficial for
their performance, we’d be on to a winner.
We explored this theory with bespoke
research commissioned with UK’s leading
running title, Runner’s World.
We recruited a panel of 400 trialists, gave
them a free audiobook credit and asked
them to incorporate Audible in to their
training routine for one month. Pre-and
post-research was carried out to measure
the impact of audiobooks on enjoyment
and running performance.
The results were astounding! Not only did
trialists find listening to audiobooks more
enjoyable, but they also found it made
them run further and more regularly.
We were right. Audible is the perfect
running partner.
The plan
Phase one
Building on our existing relationship with
Runner’s World, we sought to convert the
title’s existing online community of running
enthusiasts to audiobooks. In doing so,
we’d create a group of socially connected
brand ambassadors who would, in turn,
influence those thinking about trying
running for the first time.
Phase two
We knew that to reach a wider audience
we’d have to partner with a major media
owner.
The London Evening Standard stood out
as a clear choice for three reasons:
Voice of London
The London Evening Standard has long-
established links to the London Marathon
– the highlight of the UK running calendar.
Joining forces with the London Evening
Standard placed Audible’s running
message at the heart of the action.

3. Influence
Renowned for championing worthy
causes, the London Evening Standard has
influenced government agenda and policy,
and galvanised the public. With the
London Evening Standard editorial team
already supporting the new consumer-led
run2work day, sponsoring this event
offered Audible the ideal platform to
cement its credibility with runners.
The run2work movement aimed to
persuade thousands of people to ‘run to
work’, instead of driving or using public
transport. Coincidentally, the London
Evening Standard was at that time looking
for a commercial partner, making it the
perfect match.
Reach
With a readership of almost 2m, the
London Evening Standard was a platform
from which Audible could broadcast its
message, beyond the niche running
community.
On your marks…
Capitalising on the editorial noise and
general interest in the London Marathon
we launched our newspaper campaign in
the days preceding the run. We ran a
series of teaser display adverts, each
highlighting a different compelling stat
from the Runner’s World research.
Our tailored tactical insertions ran in the
sports section against London Marathon
editorial building a positive association
between Audible and running.
Fig one. Paid-for display advertising in the
London Evening Standard
Get set…
Audible was announced as the London
Evening Standard’s partner for run2work
in the days preceding the London
Marathon.
All participants were offered a free Audible
download to entice them to take part and
entertain them during their run.
Go!
The London Evening Standard editorial
team were wholeheartedly committed to
supporting the run2work movement.
Across a massive 14 pages of editorial in
the London Evening Standard in paper
and online (in a newly created running
channel) the benefits of running and
listening to audiobooks were conveyed to
the public.
With well-known personalities, the leading
running authority, politicians and athletes
behind run2work, Audible gained
additional awareness and positive
association.

4. Fig two. Olympian Liz Yelling promoting
run2work day – editorial tailed with “To
register for run2work and claim your free
Audible download, go to run2work.com”
It’s a date!
To broadcast the launch of the first
run2work day on June 4, activity
culminated in an eight-page newspaper
pull-out, social media support, online
commercial and editorial coverage and
vendor bills. All this activity reinforced the
association between running and Audible,
using audiobook downloads as an
incentive to sign up for the event.
Fig three. run2work centre spread of eight-
page pull-out, including ‘what audiobooks
the ES team were listening to while
running’
Involving the enthusiasts
‘Run Hub’ is an interactive running
channel on runnersworld.co.uk that
enables users to log runs, join groups,
diarise training schedules, share
information and take part in new
challenges every month.
The Runner’s World editorial team tasked
members with doing the ‘Audible
Challenge for June’ to encourage
involvement with and awareness of
run2work day.
Fig four. Home page carousel, spring
challenges

5. Fig five. Runners World - Home page
carousel, June session challenges
Social media
Interest in the run2work day reached far
beyond the London Evening Standard,
giving Audible a voice across the social
sphere – from Men’s Health and Runner’s
World through to Sonic Shock and Watch
My Wallet (to name but a few).
Fig six; PR generated through Midas PR
Results
Our campaign aimed to:
a. Drive trial of Audible audiobooks
• Over 3,500 people signed up to the
run2work day and received a free
Audible download
b. Increase awareness of the benefits
of audiobooks and how they can be
incorporated in to daily routine
• Over 14 pages of editorial support
from the London Evening Standard
• More than 600,000 impressions on
the newly created running hub on
eveningstandard.co.uk
c. Establish the audiobook in the public
consciousness
• Almost 10,000 miles were logged
on ‘Run Hub’ for the run2work
challenge
Boris Johnson, London Mayor, urged
London’s “dynamic workforce to, lace up
those trainers and take to the capital’s
streets,” in support of run2work.
Client view
“Audible was looking to educate people
about the benefits of audiobooks when
training. We required a multi-media
partner with extensive reach and an
association with sport and running. The
Evening Standard gave us an opportunity
to achieve both due to its wide readership
and historical relationship with the London
Marathon: the perfect partner. As a result,
the campaign was a huge success;
helping us drive positive association
between Audible and running, and
positioning our brand as a powerful and
entertaining addition to a daily routine.”
Tracey Markham
Co-country manager, Audible