“I saw your ad!” is a statement Athletics NZ Commercial & Marketing Manager Jo Clark says was on repeat throughout October and November.

“We had digital billboards up nationwide with Go Media promoting our ‘Athletics for Everybody’ campaign, which encourages future athletes to find their local athletics club and give it a go.”

The Athletics for Every Body grassroots campaign hopes to get more tamariki active and to embrace the joy of running, jumping and throwing. The skills learned also provide the foundation for all sports with the likes of rugby stars Sonny Bill Williams and Portia Woodman both enthusiastic athletics club members in their formative days.

“Normally we only use radio and digital for our campaigns. The Go Media outdoor billboards added that extra something, providing additional visibility and awareness that we have never had before,” says Jo.

“People click ‘like’ on ads online, but they tell us when they spot the outdoor billboards!”

Go Media became an Athletics NZ partner in early 2021 and has been committing their outdoor digital billboard space to promote grassroots athletics.

While Jo says the latest lock-down impacted the ‘Athletics for Everybody’ campaign during October and early November, Go Media was committed to seeing the campaign through to the end.

“We were originally only meant to run our campaign for two weeks in October,” says Jo.

“But when the lock-down dragged on, we paused our promotion in regions that were held in Alert Level 4 and 3. Go Media kept the campaign rolling nationwide, continuing throughout October and November, only finishing on November 28.”

And while the outdoor billboards had a huge impact on the visibility of the campaign, Jo says the Go Media team’s commitment to the partnership and supporting grassroots athletics, was what truly raised the bar.

“Go Media made us feel part of the team and when say they want to help the community, they mean it.”