A word about the Sugar Challenge.

“Through this inspirational challenge, which includes healthy recipes and practical and fun tips, we help participants to cook fresh meals and resist sweet temptations for a whole week. And this is not without good reason: by avoiding highly processed products such as soft drinks, biscuits and sweets and opting for unprocessed products instead, you can save 99 sugar cubes of added sugars in just one week. 

This is why our message during the National Sugar Challenge is as follows: (1) avoid all added sugars, (2) eat fresh and unprocessed food as much as possible and (3) make sure you adopt a healthy and varied diet.

We support anyone who wants to live a healthier life: from young to old, whether you are at home, at school or at work. We do this in an accessible way, digitally and, importantly, in a way that is fun and engaging so that you can easily work on a healthier lifestyle wherever you may be.”

Enriching customer profiles through an automated flow.

Since Diabetes Fonds opted for a fully automated flow that would be as relevant as possible to the receivers, the following questions were key:

• How can we get to know even more about the target group’s needs and challenges in an intelligent way?
• How can we use the technology to achieve the highest possible engagement rate on our emails?
• How can we utilise Marketing Cloud to maximise the conversion on the sale of the Suiker Challenge Magazine?

Of course, we knew how to get the answers. Together with a team of specialists and the Diabetes Fonds team we immediately got to work. After having numerous brainstorming sessions and obtaining the right information, we presented various creative flows to the teams.

The three phases of the Sugar Challenge.

The Sugar Challenge consisted of three phases, namely the preparation phase, the phase with the week without sugar consumption and finally the feedback phase. For each phase, clear objectives were defined and the most suitable resources and communications were employed to achieve the most optimal results along each touchpoint.

Inspiring participants whilst enriching the data.

The preparation phase.

During the preparation phase, the goal was to get the participants as enthusiastic as possible about the challenge. Several automation flows were set up to ensure that the participants would be well-informed about the necessary preparations for the week without sugar.

Firstly, it was important for participants to be in possession of the Sugar Challenge magazine to ensure the most optimal experience. The magazine contained inspirational recipes and calendars, and allowed the participant to keep track of their cravings. As such, it was important that thef maximum amount of Sugar Challenges would be requested. If the magazine had already been requested it was not offered again.

In addition, interactive forms in emails were used. These forms asked participants to provide important information about recipe preferences and family size; the information provided was then used to make the content relevant to the user, tailoring it throughout the rest of the Suiker Challenge. 

A/B testing and optimisations during the Suiker Challenge.

Ultimately, the goal during the Sugar Challenge was to show content that would be as relevant as possible to the user and thus to increase interaction as much as possible. 

The emails that the participant received focused on a single topic each time and were personalised according to the previously communicated recipe preferences and family size. Furthermore, participants received motivational messages in the form of vlogs with former participant tips, live interviews with experts and other helpful tips to successfully get through the weekend without sugar.

To determine the most optimal path for achieving the open rates and conversion goals that were previously set, multiple A/B tests were employed throughout the journey.

In the end, the journey was built in such a way that makes it possible to participate in the Suiker Challenge more than just that one moment in the year. This means that you can sign up when it best suits you and receive the support you need when you require it.

Sticking to healthy habits adopted during the Suiker Challenge.

After the Sugar Challenge ended it was important for the participants to continue on their “sugarless” journey. After all, the ultimate goal is to help eradicate Diabetes, and unfortunately, that does not happen within just 1 week. In this phase, the participant was asked to provide feedback on the challenge and whether they needed further assistance in reducing their sugar intake.