Led end-to-end social and digital content strategy for one of the UK’s largest sporting events
The Numbers
- 1,200% growth vs previous Commonwealth Games, predominantly organically
- 154m impressions and 78m video views
- 7.4m+ reach across all platforms
- Almost every session sold out, including events that historically struggled
The Brief
Build a content engine that could serve rightsholders, athletes, broadcasters and fans in real-time during an 11-day multi-sport event, while solving complex international licensing restrictions and driving local ticket sales with a minimal paid budget.
The Challenge
Strict broadcasting licensing deals with international rights-holders severely limited real-time content sharing. We could only publish a handful of very short clips per day, with delays to allow priority markets (such as Australia) to publish first. Traditional viral content strategies weren’t going to work here; we needed to think smarter… with no real budget for paid promotion or audience growth, either.
The Strategic Approach
Applied my signature framework for sports events:
- Fan Formula (See it/Feel it/Live it/Share it) to map the fan journey
- 4S Framework (Share/Support/Smile/Show) to balance content types
- Fire Formula to set cadence and energy leveles
Partnership-driven growth: Since athletes held rights to their own footage, I built strategic partnerships with athlete management teams and federations. We created and supplied content (performance edits, interviews, behind-scenes) in exchange for collaboration and audience access. This solved the rights issue AND gave us access to highly engaged niche communities.
LOC content advantage: Leveraged our unique position to create environment content that didn’t require broadcast rights — crowd reactions, family moments, athlete warm-ups (like Helen Housby’s viral Lizzo dance), cultural storytelling.
The Execution
- Built digital infrastructure at scale: Managed secure DAM system distributing 45,934 media files to 356 authorized stakeholders with rights-cleared access in minutes
- Athlete & federation partnerships: Negotiated content collaborations with 70+ federations and individual athletes, prioritized by community size and strategic markets
- Real-time content operations: Scaled to 150+ clips per day during live competition, managed team of 10+ across previously siloed departments
- Localized fan engagement: Targeted content for India (50% of engagement), Australia, and UK audiences with culturally relevant storytelling
- Legacy planning: Built 9-month post-event content plan and audience handoff strategy to Victoria 2026
The Impact
Audience Growth (Organic)
- 1,200% growth vs Glasgow 2014
- 7.4M+ reach; 215M digital views globally
- 141M social interactions
- Only 5% drop-off in 9 months post-event despite minimal ongoing resource
Commercial Success
- 1.5M+ tickets sold (record-breaking)
- £1.2 billion economic impact
- Games delivered under budget with £70M surplus
Legacy & Handoff
- Victoria 2026 attracted 200,000+ followers within months of launch through strategic collaboration campaign
- Created reusable content frameworks and stakeholder workflows for future events
Key Capabilities Demonstrated
Strategic audience growth under severe content restrictions and minimal budget — through partnership models, proprietary frameworks, and team leadership across multiple stakeholders.
