The UK branded entertainment environment is highly developed and so incredibly competitive. Brands appear in almost all areas of communication and so the need to add true value to stand out and be embraced by an audience is paramount.

Working with a client, subject to the strictest Financial Service Authority regulations, we are limited not only in the type and tone of the content we produce for them, but also in the promises we can make on behalf of the brand, product or service. In response to this the brand often exercises caution around innovation and the lengths to which we can take creative leaps to bring our products to life.

The Barclays Mini Masterpiece campaign was hosted primarily on Mumsnet – the UK’s most influential parenting website. While there are relatively few restrictions placed on branded content appearing on sites such as this, the audience culture is fiercely complex to navigate and the potential reception at risk when connecting with Mumsnetters is feared nationally – the repercussions of getting it wrong are disastrous for a brand. In that same year, Mumsnetters had campaigned to change distribution and charging of Olympics tickets (something no other group managed – despite attempts) and initiated a boycott of News Corporation brands and advertisers – all before the summer holidays began.

A series of flash-animated and video montage banners were created and appeared on Mumsnet throughout the campaign, raising awareness, driving traffic to the campaign and showcasing the fun and playful nature of the competition and the high-profile judges.

The campaign appeared in local press and Barclays internal communications ensuring that the story of the campaign was celebrated both by customers and the Barclays staff. Bespoke flyers and colouring books were distributed in branch to help spread the word of both the product and the competition – taking our unique visual style through the Barclays organization and to customers.

The campaign was considered to be the highlight of the ongoing Barclays on Mumsnet partnership, with the Chief Marketing Officer of Barclays Andy Brent not only attending our special exhibition of the shortlist and judging, but also stating, “Incredible stuff. The Barclays Mini Masterpiece Competition has helped us to engage families in a new way.”

The Barclays Mini Masterpiece campaign has become synonymous with the kind of warm, engaging and innovative content that Barclays want to bring to their customers, balancing entertainment, interactivity, product messaging and brand affinity throughout.

The response from Mumsnetters was outstanding, as we achieved a 781% increase in Barclays on Mumsnet page views throughout the campaign, and the product pages themselves saw an 88% increase in unique visits over the duration of the competition.

This campaign was a feather in the cap of the Barclays on Mumsnet partnership – a content marketing project responsible for an 83% increase in the number of Mumsnetters who say Barclays helps them manage their money better.