In the charity’s archives, we found a poem One and All, written by John Betjeman and gifted to National Trust when Neptune launched. It decried the state of the coast and highlighted the need for Neptune.

A half-century on, we’d sequel this with The Nation’s Ode to the Coast – written for the nation, by the nation to highlight the coast’s importance to us all; crowdsourced from memories made or yet to be made at the coastline. They’d tell us why they #lovethecoast, via social, ‘coastcards’ available at National Trust properties, and at events.

By putting the message into the public’s hands we’d turn their lifelong affiliation with the coast into a lifelong meaningful connection to National Trust.

The crescendo would see the poem unveiled in a piece of stunning film, featuring participants, members of the public, National Trust volunteers and rangers, using the poem they’d created to celebrate the coast.

JULY 2015: STARTING A NATIONAL POEM

An ad featured the beginning of a poem written by punk poet Dr John Cooper Clarke, inviting the public to help complete it by sharing coastal memories.

JULY-OCTOBER 2015: #LOVETHECOAST SUBMISSIONS

People shared memories, photos and wrote their own poems inspired by the coast. Selected users’ comments were turned into specially-commissioned photos, sketches and videos.

An 8-stage ‘Shellsphere’ walk-through experience toured city-centres, evoking memories of the coast even among people who hadn’t visited in years.

A selection of user-generated content was sent to JCC, inspiring his composition of the poem’s final verse.

OCTOBER 2015: UNVEILING THE NATION'S ODE TO THE COAST

17 of our 18,000 contributors joined Dr John Cooper Clarke to share the finished

poem in our celebratory film.

The film was used across paid, earned and owned channels, while the finished poem was used everywhere from bookmarks to National Trust’s call-waiting message.

AWARENESS / REACH

• Final video viewed 2.6million times, reaching 43% of explorer family adults.

• Peak 69% reach of explorer families

• 361 pieces of earned media coverage, 355,824,202 OTS

• 1 in 9 Explorer Families recalled celebratory film

• National Trust’s association with the coast was strongest of the entire charity sector

AFFINITY

• Average 82% message delivery, 25% higher than NT average

• Content retention averaged 84% - 52% above industry average

ACTIVE PARTICIPATION

• 18,000 public contributions

• 2,000 participated in Shellspheres

• £394,000 donations

• Membership up 23%

• Explorer families who recognised our activity were:

o 25% more likely to consider visiting a National Trust coastal place in next month

o 19% more aware of NT’s association with coast

Fly comments: “A strong shift in understanding NT’s coastal work. 95% overwhelmingly positive response to the campaign. Respondents said it made them feel positive and proud about NT’s worthwhile work.”

Sources – Gorkana, Fly Research, NT, Consumer Insight