We launched #UpAgain to help the ISU engage and attract fans across its four disciplines outside of its live events. An emotive and inspiring campaign, #UpAgain shined a light on a universal truth which binds all skaters:

Yes, we might fall. Yes, we might fail.
But to be the very best we can be.
We get #UpAgain.

Whether you are a beginner looking to stay on their feet or a national champion dreaming of winning gold in Beijing in 2022. From figure and synchronized skating to speed skating and short track. It is a celebration of the human spirit; that never-say-die attitude that drives us to improve ourselves.

Through powerful messaging, inspiring athlete stories and UGC fan competitions, the campaign lifted the community to new heights.

Then the pandemic hit and everything changed.

Dreams were put on ice.
Events were cancelled.
Rinks were shut.
Fans and athletes faced isolation and anxiety and loss.

Our job? Help the skating community to get #UpAgain. So, we relaunched the campaign – but with a difference. It was no longer about ‘ruling’ the ice but staying positive, healthy and entertained.

ISU and Redtorch designed a carefully crafted programme of content designed to help our audience thrive physically, mentally and emotionally.

The programme was launched with a sympathetic and optimistic film showing how the resilience of the sport’s top athletes helped them get #UpAgain following career lows. The athletes shared personal videos offering recommendations on how to stay fit and positive.

At a time when our community was being forced to stay apart, we had brought them closer together than ever before.

Redtorch focused on leveraging the benefits of paid media. Advertising budgets were weighted according to an audience’s affinity to the featured athlete and copy translations were used to maximise engagement. Platform pixels were used to build more direct data sources and establish lookalike audiences, which allowed us to reach and engage new fans.

This unique and complex project required all Redtorch departments and specialists to be involved. The whole company had to be connected and united and to work towards a common goal.