Reintroducing the movement
For almost 50 years, Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, formerly Sustrans, has helped communities walk, wheel and cycle more. But as awareness declined and competition for attention intensified, the organisation needed to reintroduce itself with greater relevance and urgency. The rebrand created an opportunity to do exactly that.
Following that, we worked with Walk Wheel Cycle Trust to develop a digital-first activation campaign to help launch the new identity, designed to reposition active travel as something bigger than transport or lifestyle – a movement capable of creating healthier communities, safer streets and a cleaner future.
The campaign aimed to reconnect with existing supporters, reach entirely new audiences and build momentum around the charity’s renewed purpose.
Engagement
– Engaged and managed input from stakeholders throughout project
Discovery
– Review of research material and insights
– Overview of personas
Creative
– Core ‘big idea’ campaign concept
– B2B and B2C assets for social channels
– Motion
Delivery
– Consulting and support on planning for campaign rollout
– Media planning and buying
33%
prompted awareness, already up on the average over the last two years for Sustrans.
21%
of people say they know what Walk Wheel Cycle Trust does. A huge improvement on the Sustrans brand.
32%
Over 32% of people say they're likely to support Walk Wheel Cycle Trust much stronger than the Sustrans brand.
2.6 million
Campaign activity reached 2.6 million people and generated 513,000 engagements, alongside 787,000 video plays, including 225,000 full completions, demonstrating strong attention and message retention
Building a more inclusive position
Audience insight showed that people were motivated less by cycling culture and more by the desire to improve the places around them – cleaner air, safer streets and stronger local communities.
The strategy therefore positioned Walk Wheel Cycle Trust as a catalyst for grassroots environmental and social change, reframing active travel as something accessible, collective and rooted in everyday life.
The campaign system was also designed to flex across both public and institutional audiences, allowing messaging to shift between emotional storytelling, practical participation and organisational credibility where needed.
From awareness to action
Communications were structured around a 'see, think, do' approach. Brand-led storytelling built broad awareness and emotional connection with mass audiences, while more targeted messaging encouraged practical participation from audiences already showing intent to engage.
Awareness-driving creative introduced the new brand and its wider purpose, while retargeting activity focused on driving action through traffic-free route guides, newsletter sign-ups and further engagement with the charity.
This created a connected journey from visibility through to participation, helping transform attention into measurable supporter engagement.
Creating a campaign people could see themselves in
The campaign creative was unified under the hook:
“Roll, ride, amble, gambol, stroll, stride, trek, tread. However you do it, we’re the charity making it possible.”
This message shifted the conversation beyond transport alone, highlighting the role walking, wheeling and cycling can play in creating healthier, more connected places to live.
Launching publicly in September 2025, the campaign rolled out across Facebook, Instagram, reels, stories, in-stream video and the wider Audience Network through a mix of short-form film, motion and static creative.
A digital-first approach allowed continuous optimisation across audiences, placements and formats, helping maximise reach while building a connected journey from awareness through to participation.
Turning awareness into action
The campaign proved the power of the new brand to engage audiences at scale.
Activity across Facebook, Instagram and digital placements reached 2.6 million people, generating 513,000 engagements, 787,000 video plays and 43,000 link clicks. The campaign also drove 28,000 landing page visits and more than 2,100 downloads of the charity’s traffic-free guide.
Most importantly, attention translated into action. 55% of landing page visitors signed up to the monthly e-newsletter, creating a strong pipeline for future fundraising and supporter engagement, while the campaign also secured 95 direct donations during launch.
Beyond performance metrics, the activation established a more flexible and accessible brand system capable of moving seamlessly between campaigning, fundraising and institutional communications – creating a platform designed not just for recognition, but for sustained growth nationwide.
