How local digital agency used its paid media intellect to boost SA's NSRI's coffers

In 2023, the organisation taught water safety lessons to over 905,000 South African school children, while its Pink Rescue Buoy public rescue equipment programme, which has inspired other countries to follow suit, has assisted in the rescue of at least 184 people since it started in late 2017. In the absence of an official government-mandated organisation that provides the services many countries’ national coastguards offer, the NSRI’s might in South Africa as an essential service organisation is undisputed.

It goes without saying that running an organisation with 131 service locations, including rescue bases and seasonal lifeguarding, 97 rescue vessels, and scores of drowning prevention instructors, fundraisers, and administrative personnel requires considerable funds. Remarkably, these are solely raised through corporate sponsorships and public donations. “The NSRI is well known for their committed call centre staff who work tirelessly to secure new sponsorships and renew existing ones. It’s an ongoing mammoth exercise,” says marketing consultant Marlies Kappers, who works closely with the NSRI.

While the NSRI’s in-house call centre key annual competition campaigns bring in much-needed income, running costs are an ever-present challenge. With ongoing goals of reaching even more South African citizens with its drowning prevention, water safety, and ground-breaking mobile Survival Swimming Centres programmes, Kappers saw a need for the NSRI to reach even more donor channels and potential revenue streams. Enter TDMC (The Digital Media Collective), with whom she had worked extensively in leadership roles within the credit and home retail spheres.

Anchored in generosity

Kappers recognised that paid social media channels were an untapped resource that could be vital to the organisation. “Having worked closely with The Digital Media Collective Cape Town team in the corporate sphere and knowing and respecting their strong company culture and commitment to deep problem solving, I knew that pulling them in to utilise their performance marketing know-how in this realm could really help boost fundraising for the NSRI,” she says. And boost it they did.

In keeping with the NSRI’s NPO profile, TDMC works strictly pro bono on the account. By applying their considerable knowledge and expertise in digital marketing to the task at hand, TDMC has achieved phenomenal results. “Since TDMC came on board close to a year ago, we have yet to have a month where digital advertising revenue hasn’t increased by 50% – and we currently have an average 11:1 ROAS (Return on Advertising Spend). Even more valuable to us is that there has been no difference in the level of service and commitment provided to us by TDMC as if we were paying for their excellence,” says Kappers.

Charting new waters

The NSRI’s retail presence has continued growing since TDMC took over its paid media efforts. Aside from its META Business Partner and Google Premier Partner credentials, TDMC is an accredited Shopify expert in South Africa with over eight years of experience, leaving it perfectly poised to assist the NSRI with its emergent online retail presence.

Upward trending ROAS statistics and significant growth in reach are certainly hallmarks of a successful digital campaign. Still, TDMC’s Cape Town Media Director, Caleb Shepard, maintains that the key to the brand’s upswing is the NSRI’s impactful messaging and emotional storytelling, giving TDMC excellent content to work with. “Paid media is so often seen as just a cog in a commercial wheel, but this relationship has really helped cement how paid media has the power to do good,” says Shepard.

With TDMC’s involvement in the NSRI’s continued endeavours to provide essential services and lifelong drowning prevention skills, there is no doubt that much good has come of the relationship. Bradley Seaton-Smith, head of marketing for the NSRI, says, “Our core reason for being is to serve the South African public through our water safety programmes and rescue operations, in which more than 1,800 people were rescued last year. We are grateful to TDMC and their stellar team for assisting us so ably and helping us to utilise paid media channels so efficiently.”

Shepard summarises it perfectly: “The NSRI is not there to make money; they’re there to save lives. And if we can help them to do that, then we’ve done a good job.”