Despite the CIBC Run for the Cure's established charity stature, donor fatigue is a reality when it comes to an annual cause. People are shifting their focus to other, edgier causes like ALS and Movember. So we had a substantial challenge on our hands. We had to break through the clutter and reinvigorate peoples' interest in the Run.

Our insight was that most people who take part in the Run are personally impacted by the disease. As a result, we knew that we had to drive an emotional connection and make the campaign personal to drive participation. We also knew that conversion is most likely taking place in the digital space. And as such, we decided to create a social video as the hero of our campaign. This would allow us the opportunity to tell a longer story in order to build an emotional connection.

We asked four Run participants to take part in a special documentary that would be used to encourage other Canadians to join the cause. They interacted with our crew and our director asked them to recount why they're participating in the Run, and why others should join the movement.

A week later, our participants attended the screening. As the documentary unfolded, we revealed that the film crew and the theatre staff were breast cancer survivors, and they appeared on screen and told their own heart-wrenching stories. As if that wasn't enough, the participants found out the entire audience was filled with breast cancer survivors as they erupted in a standing ovation, thanking them for their support.

The impact of our campaign videos this year has been incredible with 4.5 million engagements: 79% of people who saw our social video indicated that their emotions were stirred, and 74% agreed that it left them feeling that there is still work to be done to support the cause (up 3% and 11% respectively).

Another 70% of viewers indicated that they wanted to participate in the Run (up 18%), and 62% said that they felt compelled to donate (up 10%). With 8,839 additional mentions, the campaign achieved a 26% lift for CIBC mentions. Also, 61% of runners said they had a positive impression of CIBC as a result of their sponsorship and the campaign, and 93% of runners noted CIBC as a sponsor unaided.

Of course, the most important measure is the campaign's financial impact. Despite the competition, the CIBC Run for the Cure continues to be Canada's largest one-day charity initiative. In 2015, the Run had over 115,000 participants and volunteers, and raised an incredible $21.5 million.