O2 launched the Local Government Digital Fund (LGDF) to engage local councils by offering a chance to win a share of a £250,000 fund, aiming to promote digital innovation and generate sales opportunities. The campaign included regional roadshows that attracted 258 councils, resulting in 57 bids submitted, ultimately leading to a 'Dragons' Den' style event where six finalists pitched their ideas. With an increased number of applications and higher attendance at events compared to previous years, the initiative successfully positioned O2 as a trusted digital partner for local government.

1. CATEGORY 17
BEST CORPORATE DECISION-MAKER TARGETED CAMPAIGN
Local Government
Digital Fund
AGENCY: THE MARKETING PRACTICE
CLIENT: O2 ENTERPRISE

2. To engage with new senior contacts in local government, O2 launched a competition – a chance to win a stake in the £250,000 Local Government Digital Fund (LGDF). Through the LGDF, O2 had the opportunity to reposition itself as a partner delivering new digital services:
•
Positioning the fund to act as catalyst to kick start other digital initiatives across local government and help to speed up the decision-making process
•
Identifying and generating additional sales opportunities for O2 (the needs of the participating councils were set out in their applications for the fund)
A road show visited London, Birmingham and Glasgow to build excitement and explain the LGDF. 258 councils registered. 165 took part in the road show. As a result, 57 submitted bids (vs a target of 37).
An independent panel reviewed the bids and selected six finalists for a heated Dragon’s Den-style finale.
Two winners walked away with a share of the funding and the opportunity to bring their revolutionary digital ideas to life.
SUMMARY

3. O2 is best known in the consumer space as a leading UK- based mobile network operator and high-street retailer of mobile phones. However, in the business world O2 Enterprise is recognised by large organisations and the public sector for their consultative and transformational abilities.
With clients that include Network Rail, Debenhams and Canary Wharf, O2 Enterprise continues to realise its ambition of becoming the go-to partner for any communication and
digital requirements.
For this entry, we’ll abbreviate O2 Enterprise to O2.
O2 ENTERPRISE

4. OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGY
OBJECTIVES
O2 has already had success in 2012 with its Local Government Future Fund where councils were invited to apply for funding to improve service delivery to citizens.
Given the increasing digitisation of citizens and the need for local government to be increasingly innovative in how they deliver services, O2 saw the opportunity to evolve the initiative into the Local Government Digital Fund (LGDF). This would also help to position O2 as the most trusted provider of brilliant digital experiences for local citizens and councils alike. As important, the fund would help to build a pipeline of sales opportunities.
KPIS:
•
Generate at least 37 applications for the fund (the benchmark set the previous year)
POSITION O2 &
PROMOTE DIGITAL
SERVICES
GAIN DEEPER
INSIGHT
BUILD A PIPELINE OF SALES OPPORTUNITIES
BUILD
RELATIONSHIPS
OBJECTIVES OF
THE CAMPAIGN

5. OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGY
STRATEGY
The dynamics of local government mean that decision-making can be complex and often slow, in what is already a very competitive sector for the providers of digital communications and network services.
The LGDF concept meant that getting councils to apply for funding side- stepped the usual decision-making dynamics with a defined timetable for submitting their applications.
At the same time, this approach meant that O2 could also build a pipeline of sales opportunities as the councils became aware of O2’s capabilities.
We needed to ensure we engaged early with the key decision-makers to get their buy-in to the LGDF and to make it as easy as possible for councils to apply for the funding.
MOMENTUM FROM DAY ONE
The LGDF was kicked off with three regional live events across the country (Birmingham, London and Glasgow) to ensure as many local government decision-makers could attend as possible.
Each of the live events:
•
Showcased O2’s digital propositions which helped provide a focus for councils in terms of the technology and the expertise and support they could bid for
•
Outlined the process for applying for the funding with a clearly structured timetable and guidance materials on how to apply in order to minimise the drop-out rate and help the councils meet the deadlines of each stage
•
Provided a forum for O2 and the councils to discuss the big digital questions around what digital initiatives could help engage citizens – giving the event attendees the inspiration they’d need to develop a winning bid.
Following the bid submissions (57 bids) a final six were shortlisted – these had to attend the Dragon’s Den style event where they could pitch their idea to a panel of Local Government industry luminaries. Ultimately, a £250,000 digital fund would be split between one to three councils to progress an innovative, digital idea they’d presented to O2 as part of the event.

6. DO DIFFERENT
THROWING DOWN THE CHALLENGE
In order to create the buzz and momentum needed to sustain engagement across the duration of the campaign, we needed to engage hearts and minds.
We wanted to throw down a challenge to local government to think beyond the day to day constraints that they work in and think differently, exploring new ways of delivering services and new technologies. Therefore the creative theme of the campaign became a rallying cry for local government to Do Different.
MOBILE
WORKING
COLLABORATING
IN THE
WORKPLACE
CONNECTING AND COMMUNICATING WITH CITIZENS
3
CATEGORIES

7. TARGET AUDIENCE
C-LEVEL CONTACTS
The LGDF had to engage with the people making the decisions and making the policy. In local government that is both:
•
the local government senior officers such as the Director of IT, Director of Transformation and Service Delivery Directors
•
the elected council leaders
A “SOUGHT AFTER” AUDIENCE
This audience are traditionally bombarded with
marketing and approaches by sales. Engaging local government decision-makers on what was possible in transforming their services and inviting them to apply for funding to kick start this transformation proved to be more effective than more traditional sales and marketing campaigns.
The competitive element, alongside the rare opportunity to receive funding to pursue an innovative digital idea, helped to attract an audience that is famously hard to engage.

8. LOCAL GOVERNMENT DIGITAL FUNDPROGRAMME LAUNCH254 REGISTEREDThree regional eventsINSPIRATION AND HOW TO APPLYDelegate recruitmentDRIVING EVENT ATTENDANCE165 ATTENDEES57 REGISTRANTS2 WINNERSPost commsSHARING SUCCESSWHITE PAPERSOCIAL MEDIAVIDEOLIVE FILMINGLIVE TWEETINGTWITTERPRESENTATIONSRATE CARD & T&CSDELEGATE PACKSEXEC SUMMARYTHOUGHT LEADERSHIPLETTERS, DM & EDMSOCIAL MEDIABLOG & VIDEO BLOGEVENT BROCHUREPRESS RELEASEPre-Event Awareness ProgrammeENCOURAGING ENGAGEMENTVIDEOBLOGEMAILSPost commsPost SUCCESS SOCIAL MEDIAVIDEO BLOGBLOGBLOGBLOGEMAILS JULYFEBRUARYDRAGONS’ DENINSIDE SALES TELEPHONE FOLLOW UPLANDING PAGEPost event commsMAINTAINING MOMENTUMBLOG & SLIDE SHARE
TIMELINE OF ACTIVITIES

9. TIMESCALE, MEDIA, CHANNELS AND TECHNIQUES USED
The campaign plan had to ensure that the LGDF had sustained visibility with the target audience from pre-launch to the winner announcement to avoid a high drop-out rate.
PRE-EVENT – CREDIBILITY AND DRIVING REGISTRATIONS
Peer-to-peer letter to Council CEOs and leaders from Mark Adams Wright, the Local Government Practice Managing Partner at O2. A dedicated LGDF landing microsite, landing pages, opinion pieces, event brochure, emails, social media, blogs, video blogs, telemarketing, microsite and videos.
THREE REGIONAL EVENTS – MAKING LGDF INCLUSIVE
Executive summary, rate card, delegate pack, T&Cs, live filming, live Twitter updates, presentations and videos for use in the presentations.
POST-EVENT COMMS – SPREADING THE WORD TO NON-ATTENDEES
Videos, emails and blog.
BID SUBMISSION STAGE – MAKING IT STRAIGHT-FORWARD TO APPLY
Submission forms, how-to video, how-to guide.
DRAGONS’ DEN AND SELECTING WINNERS – CREATING SOME THEATRE
Live filming, live tweeting.
POST COMMS – SHARING IN THE SUCCESS
Dragons’ Den video, winners’ video, blogs, social media, whitepaper and Slideshare.

10. RESULTS
•
Glasgow
•
London
•
Birmingham
57 submissions
3
ROAD SHOW EVENTS
165
ATTENDEES
258
ORGANISATIONS
78%
ATTENDANCE RATE
74%
ATTENDANCE RATE
52%
ATTENDANCE RATE
•
Delegate recruitment numbers – 254 registered
•
Across all three events there were 165 attendees on the day (vs 72 people the previous year)
•
Media reach: 300,000 individuals
•
Bids received – 57 bids (vs 37 the previous year)
680%
OF PIPELINE TARGET

11. CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
“I was delighted by the response to the LGDF but I was not at all surprised.
Over the course of the launch events it was clear that there is a real appetite for change among councils. The interest they showed in the Digital Fund, and the ideas that were already being discussed at the launch events, proved to me that there is a huge amount of innovative thinking just waiting to be unleashed at councils all over the UK.”
Ben Dowd, Business Director, Telefónica UK