The Big Rappel
Transforming a once-in-a-lifetime charity challenge into a national fundraising campaign that united communities, inspired thousands of supporters and generated extraordinary momentum around one of the world’s most iconic landmarks.
The Big Rappel had all the ingredients of a memorable fundraising event. Hundreds of participants. A remarkable cause. And the chance to descend the side of the world’s most famous building.
But memorable events don’t automatically become memorable brands.
To maximise participation, fundraising and long-term awareness, the campaign needed a distinctive identity that people could instantly recognise, proudly associate themselves with and enthusiastically share with others. Every touchpoint, from recruitment through to event day, needed to create excitement, confidence and anticipation.
Our role was to create a brand capable of turning individual participants into ambassadors, giving the event a much bigger presence than the physical challenge itself.
Turning participants into ambassadors.
Rather than treating The Big Rappel as a one-off fundraising event, we positioned it as a movement.
A bold visual identity, confident messaging and a highly recognisable campaign system created something participants wanted to wear, photograph, post about and become part of. The communications balanced the scale and drama of the challenge with the warmth, humanity and purpose behind the cause itself.
Every element was designed to build anticipation long before participants reached the roof, and to keep the story travelling long afterwards.
Creating a campaign people wanted to join.
The success of fundraising events depends as much on emotion as logistics.
Alongside the visual identity, we developed campaign messaging that celebrated courage, community and collective achievement. The focus wasn’t simply on abseiling down a landmark building. It was about becoming part of something much bigger than yourself.
This gave partners, sponsors, volunteers and participants a common narrative that could be shared consistently across every communication channel.
THE OUTCOMES >
Created a distinctive campaign identity that significantly elevated the profile of the event.
Delivered a fully integrated communications toolkit across print, digital, social media and environmental applications.
Increased participant pride, advocacy and social sharing through a highly recognisable event brand.
Strengthened fundraising momentum by creating a campaign people actively wanted to support and promote.
Established a scalable brand platform capable of supporting future fundraising events and wider campaign activity.
“The difference Propellant bring goes far beyond design. They understand how to turn a fundraising event into a campaign that captures people’s imagination. Across a number of our flagship challenges, their strategic thinking and creative direction have helped us engage more supporters, elevate the participant experience and ultimately generate greater fundraising impact.”