The Situation
Exceed Sports & Entertainment was preparing the second edition of The Music Run Philippines at McKinley West. The first run had established the format: a 5K where participants run through music zones instead of racing for time. The sequel needed to outperform the original in registrations, media coverage, and social buzz to prove the event had legs as an annual franchise.
The campaign had four months. The challenge was sustaining momentum across that timeline. A launch event could generate initial coverage, but the run itself was three months away. Without a plan to keep attention alive between announcement and race day, interest would peak early and fade before a single runner showed up.
The Approach
Phase 1: Launch Party With Oversubscribed Media Attendance
Phase one was crucial. People needed to learn about the event as early as possible to generate interest and initiate conversations. An announcement alongside a Phase 1: Launch Party With Oversubscribed Media Attendance
Held a media and influencer launch party to announce the second Music Run Philippines. The event was designed to generate immediate coverage across newspapers, blogs, and social media. Although 25 media personalities confirmed attendance, 64 showed up, more than double the confirmed list.
Phase 2: Social Media Sustain Campaign With Sponsor Activations
Revived the Music Run Philippines Facebook page with a sustained content campaign over the three months between launch and race day. Ran raffles and contests powered by event sponsors at regular intervals to keep the audience engaged. The page gained 14,000 new likes and 2,700 shares, with an engagement rate of 16.6 percent against an industry standard of five percent.
Phase 3: Race Day Media Blitz & Facebook Live
Coordinated on-site media coverage at McKinley West on race day, with 136 social media personalities and reporters covering the event, more than double the previous year’s number. Broadcast the event via Facebook Live for the first time in Music Run Philippines history. The post-concert mannequin challenge video became the most-liked post of the entire campaign.
Phase 4: Post-Event Coverage Extension
Distributed post-event articles to traditional and digital media to capture the experience and extend coverage beyond race day. The post-event push closed the campaign with a final round of pickups that contributed to the total count.
The Results
- 102 Total media pickups, a 40% increase over the previous year
- 16.6% Facebook engagement rate, over triple the 5% industry standard
- 136 Media and social media personalities covering race day on-site
Campaign Highlights:
- Launch party drew 64 media attendees against 25 confirmed, more than doubling expectations
- 14,000 new Facebook page likes and 2,700 shares accumulated during the sustain phase
- First-ever Facebook Live broadcast for Music Run Philippines
- Mannequin challenge video during the post-run concert became the campaign’s highest-engagement post
- Race day participation increased over the previous year’s inaugural event
- Sponsor-powered raffles and contests sustained audience engagement across a three-month gap
The Takeaway
The hardest part of event PR is the gap between announcement and event day. The Music Run tripled the industry engagement rate during that gap by treating the three-month wait as its own campaign, not dead air. By the time runners lined up at McKinley West, the audience was already warmed up.
Industry: Consumer Retail, Hospitality
Service: PR & Digital Campaigns
Solution: For Enterprise
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you sustain media interest for an event that’s months away?
Shift from PR to social media between launch and event day. A launch party generates the initial coverage spike. Sponsor-powered contests and regular content keep the audience engaged during the gap. The event itself then generates a second, larger coverage spike.
What makes a fun run different from a traditional sports event for PR purposes?
Fun runs are lifestyle events, not athletic competitions. The media coverage strategy targets lifestyle, entertainment, and social media outlets rather than sports desks. The Music Run‘s zones, concert, and mannequin challenge were all designed as shareable moments, not athletic milestones.
How do you get more media to attend than confirm?
By making the event itself the story. When journalists and influencers see their peers talking about an invitation, the event builds its own FOMO. The Music Run launch drew 64 attendees against 25 confirmed because the buzz from early RSVPs pulled in additional media organically.
Why was Facebook Live significant for this campaign?
It extended the event beyond the physical venue. Runners, sponsors, and media who couldn’t attend McKinley West could still experience the event in real time. It also gave the campaign a content asset that continued generating engagement after the broadcast ended.
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