Marketing

A key GM Moving ambition is to deliver communications that drive culture change, system change, and behaviour change, engaging and resonating with system-wide and community audiences through positive narrative, imagery, language and stories of change.

The way we communicate about movement, physical activity and sport is critical to culture change, system change, and behaviour change.

There are many barriers to an active lifestyle: convenience food, sedentary jobs, and the types of transport on offer are all designed to limit our movement. 

When this is the case it is not fair to blame individuals for being inactive. We all have a role to play in building movement back into daily life.

Our marketing insight research told us that inactive people fondly remember a time when they were active, but lifestyle transitions and the systems that surrounds us get in the way and discourage us. 

There is no silver bullet when it comes to supporting people to be more active. But that does not mean we should give up hope. 

Good, consistent, and repeated simple marketing content about the ways people can build more activity into their everyday life with messages about the benefits of moving more can help to nudge people away from the sofa to lead happier and healthier lives.

Support for your marketing

Resource Hub: The Greater Manchester Resource Hub allows you to freely access all of our campaign assets and stock imagery for use to promote physical activity and sport across Greater Manchester. You can register for free here, and start using these resources immediately to enhance and improve your marketing. You can also add your own resources (if you have permissions for them to be used by anyone) so that others may use.

Be part of GM Moving website: There are also opportunities for you to promote your news, jobs, and case studies on the Greater Manchester Moving website. Click here to upload your jobs and click here to upload any news and case studies. GM Moving is all of us so if you're working to get people moving in GM, we want to feature your work.

Campaign and Events Calendar: Access our campaigns and events calendar here to learn more about what's coming up locally and nationally. If you would like any of your campaigns or events adding to this calendar please email [email protected].

Monthly Marketing Update: If you work in marketing within GM Moving and don’t receive a monthly marketing update, please email [email protected] with your full name, job role, organisation and request to be added to the monthly marketing update.

Inclusive and accessible communications

Ensuring your marketing is inclusive and accessible is vital to reach everyone in GM. Activity Alliance has many resources to support you to make your communications are inclusive - watch the video (right) and find out more here.​

 

Campaigns in Greater Manchester

Active Soles

Active Soles is a movement which gives everyone the freedom to wear shoes to work that they're more able to move in.

Flat, comfortable shoes or trainers enable and encourage people to move more, and moving more makes us more productive at work and less likely to take time off sick. We can all do great work in our #ActiveSoles.

Strength-based physical activity - #StrongEnough

GM Moving and Dr Ashley Gluchowski (University Fellow at University of Salford) investigated the most effective ways to communicate the need to complete strength-based physical activity with adults aged 40-60.

It is hoped that by developing relevant, clear, and consistent strength-based physical activity messaging, we can increase the number of people completing this element of the Chief
Medical Officers’ guidelines.

Success would see more communications and marketing that positively influences awareness, informs people on guideline targets, signposts to opportunities, provides inspiration and
motivation, impacts attitudes and social norms, and increases desirable health behaviours.

Learn more about this work via our recorded webinar:

Keep GM moving 

Keep Moving shows people how simple it can be to find a few minutes here and there to build movement into regular daily activities.

The campaign’s central message is that moving more doesn’t have to be chore and can be slotted into everyday activities.

Thirty minutes a day can be fun, social and bring loads of benefits, like feeling happier, more confident and sleeping well, as well as helping towards long-term health.

Get involved with the campaign via the video advert, posters or digital content which are available via the GM Resource Hub or email [email protected].

GM Walking Festival

Aligning with May’s National Walking Month, The GM Walking Festival is a celebration of walking and wheeling and an opportunity for everyone to join in with a programme of free, organised group walks across Greater Manchester.

The month-long programme of activities is organised and shaped by local people and organisations to spread the joy of walking and connect people to each other and local places.

Find out more on the GM Walking website.

The Greater Manchester Way

The Greater Manchester Way campaign aims to inspire people to consider walking in their everyday lives.

It’s about helping people to connect with the idea that walking has a lot more to offer, and highlights the multitude of benefits that walking can bring.

By showing the real reasons people walk, and what they get from it, we want to help people to help people to choose to be more active.

The Greater Manchester Way embodies a pioneering spirit.

There are so many different ways to walk in Greater Manchester, but we want everyone to find their own way, and see where it can take them. Resources available to help you include:

Bolton

Locally, you'll find Let's Keep Bolton Moving which is supporting and encouraging the people of Bolton to positively change their lives through the five ways to wellbeing - Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Giving.

National Campaigns

Sport England

  • This Girl Can: In 2015 Sport England launched their This Girl Can campaign to break down the barriers women and girls face with regards to being active. If you haven’t already registered as a supporter to access all the free campaign resources, you can do so here.
  • We are Undefeatable: In September 2019, Sport England in combination with The Richmond Group of Charities, launched this campaign to target those with a long-term health condition to help them find ways to move more in a way that suits them. You can access free campaign resources by registering as a supporter here.
  • Join the Movement: This is a National Lottery-funded campaign helping us all find ways to get active. It's all about simple, fun and free ways to get active, both indoors and outdoors, that you can enjoy safely.
  • Digital Marketing Hub: A resource to help organisations reach more people. Delivered by The Chartered Institute for the management of Sport and Physical Activity, and powered by the Digital Marketing Institute, the hub helps people, clubs and organisations use digital marketing tools and techniques to encourage more people to play sport and be physically active.
  • Play Their Way: Sport England’s latest behaviour change campaign, Play Their Way, has been developed with the Children’s Coaching Collaboration. Play Their Way is an evidence-driven campaign that aims to create a movement that transforms children’s coaching culture by giving young people a voice and a choice in what they do and helping to shape their own journey. 

Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (previously PHE)

  • Better Health - Get Active: No matter how much you do, physical activity is good for your body and mind. See their tools, tips and special offers to move more every day. 

  • Every Mind Matters: There is substantial evidence that having a lack of social connections significantly increases the risk of premature mortality. More on Every Mind Matters. The Mental Health Foundation’s Mental Health Awareness Week runs throughout May.

  • 10-minute Shakeup: Better Health and Disney’s 10 Minute Shakeup campaign helps get kids active throughout the holidays. Using some of their favourite characters from Disney’s Encanto and Frozen, Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear and Marvel’s The Avengers, they will be inspired to be more active. More information here.

    Social media toolkit
    Communications toolkit

RED January

RED January is here to provide everyone with a free and inclusive way to boost their activity levels and wellbeing.

As a nation we're less active in the winter, something that's often linked with lower mood, energy, and increased depressive symptoms.

By taking part, not only will you be supporting your own wellbeing, you can support others too by fundraising for movement and mental health projects around the country.

Health Campaigns

In addition to Sport England's We are Undefeatable campaign (see above), some charities have their own physical activity and movement-related resources which are designed for specific health conditions. See details below.

Parkinson's UK

Being active with Parkinson's can help improve a person's mental and physical wellbeing as well as your balance, strength and coordination.  

Read their Being Active with Parkinson's Guide.

Head to the Parkinson's UK website for resources, activities near you, grants for providers, YouTube playlists and more.

Swimming with Health Conditions

For most people with a long term health condition or impairment, swimming and aquatic activity is excellent for health. It is safer to be active than to be inactive.  

Read more about swimming with a health condition.

Head to the swimming.org for handouts, advice, fact sheets, posters and more professional resources.