The UK clocks changing back in October is a moment when we are all given something money can't buy - an extra hour. For most people this simply means more time in bed, but not for Marie Curie Nurses who are working through the night, every night, to make sure those who pass away during the darkest hours don’t do so alone, afraid or in pain. A Marie Curie Nurse starts work at 10pm and finishes at 7am, comforting patients from their bedside and supporting family members through the night. On the night the clocks change back, while the rest of us are in bed sleeping, Marie Curie Nurses are awake working an extra hour caring for patients and their loved ones. This ordinary moment in time provided an extraordinary opportunity to hero Marie Curie Nurses and unlock the understanding and awareness the charity needed.

On the evening of Saturday 29 October, 21 brands agreed to pledge their support for the ‘Extra Hour’ campaign for one hour between 7-8pm. OOH partners included Storm, Primesight, Forrest, Signature and City Outdoor - who agreed to donate an hour of free advertising space on digital billboards across London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. In London, Verifone Media donated an hour of advertising across 400 taxi top screens; whilst the famous Piccadilly Lights underwent a historic transformation as iconic brands Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Samsung, Hyundai and the Egyptian Tourism Authority all turned their screens yellow for the duration of the one-hour takeover. For Coca-Cola, this was a first in the history of the brand and created an unforgettable ‘wow’ moment for passers-by, illuminating Marie Curie against the night sky. It was a reminder of the impact made possible by delivering the right message, in the right channel, in the right moment.

In total, the advertising space donated free of charge generated 672,573 impressions during the one-hour pledge of support, across 431 digital OOH screens and online via the The Telegraph, Amazon and Spotify. But that wasn’t all: PR coverage from the ‘Extra Hour’ takeover generated a staggering 807k estimated views and 19.8k social shares from just one hour of activity. On the night of the Piccadilly Lights domination, there was a 60.9% increase in social mentions for #mariecurie, whilst donations raised from the overall campaign equated to 236 hours of valuable nursing care. Online, Marie Curie also saw an 80% increase in website traffic during the week of the takeover. Thanks to the mix of global advertisers and media owners who pledged their support, together with an ownable moment in time (clocks changing back), we achieved our goal of creating awareness around Marie Curie Nurses in a unique and memorable way.