Case Study: Canal & River Trust raises charity awareness with Red Stone

Canal & River Trust boosts brand awareness to 55% with Red Stone

The Canal & River Trust, a national charity maintaining historic waterways, faced a public perception challenge as only half the public realized it was a charity. Red Stone was appointed to develop a cross-platform brand awareness campaign to reset this perception and build recognition for the Trust's vital work, with the goal of driving emotional connection and engagement.

Red Stone implemented a strategic campaign built around the message "We’re the charity for…", using out-of-home, digital ads, social content, and a short film to connect emotionally with audiences. The campaign successfully surpassed all KPIs: brand awareness grew from 51% to 55%, understanding it is a charity increased from 29% to 35%, and podcast placements achieved a 50% stronger visit rate than the industry benchmark. Red Stone's work effectively shifted public perception and laid the foundation for future support.

Canal & River Trust