Active Life
Keeping stakeholders engaged through transformation
Active Life, a not-for-profit registered charity, operates five leading leisure centres in Kent. Their mission is to provide accessible, high-quality sport, fitness and leisure opportunities for the community. We were proud to support the transformation of Kingsmead Pools & Fitness Centre through a two-year, £80m development project. Our primary goal was to keep stakeholders engaged and informed throughout, ensuring transparency and understanding at every stage.
Our comprehensive, full-service marketing campaign began with the contractor announcement and carried through to the reopening day and celebratory launch event.
Key elements of the campaign included:
- Bespoke project website: A central hub to share updates, milestones, and key information.
- Signage: Strategically placed, informative visuals to keep the community updated.
- Media relations: Proactive engagement to secure press coverage across leisure, local, and lifestyle media.
- Social media & e-communications: Regular updates to maintain awareness and engagement.
- Promotional materials design: Eye-catching leaflets, timetables and digital assets to showcase the project’s benefits.
- Out-of-home & print advertising: Targeted placement to amplify visibility ahead of and during launch.
- Stakeholder launch event: A celebration to mark the reopening.
Close partnership working with Canterbury City Council ensured consistent messaging across all stakeholders, reinforcing strong collaboration between project partners.
Throughout the campaign, we adapted our approach to align with evolving timelines and marketing objectives. This included integrating the reopening of a second Active Life facility, Whitstable Leisure Centre, into our campaign delivery.
We ensured consistent awareness of the Kingsmead transformation by engaging stakeholders and the local community at every stage. Our efforts effectively retained Active Life’s loyal membership base by emphasising the benefits of the significant £80m investment and achieved its membership targets upon reopening, underscoring the campaign’s effectiveness and long-term impact.
The campaign delivered tangible results, including media coverage across leisure industry publications as well as local business, news, and lifestyle outlets. The stakeholder launch event was a key highlight, attracting 60 influential attendees.
Through strategic planning, creative execution and adaptive delivery, we ensured the Kingsmead Pools & Fitness transformation was not just a milestone for Active Life but a success story for the entire community.
