Why a great case study does the heavy lifting for you in PR

Cause client u3a’s Melanie, a 72-year-old powerlifter, on This Morning with Rylan and Josie Gibson

Sometimes a client will mention a case study that you just know will be a winner with the media. Let us introduce you to 72-year-old powerlifter Melanie, because that’s exactly what happened with her.

In April, Cause Communications was chosen to represent u3a, a thriving national charity that supports groups across the country to encourage people in later life to come together to socialise and learn new things from their peers. 

This is a national organisation with rich stories to tell. We have loved researching and telling them. We started with double-page spreads in the Daily Express and Daily Mirror explaining the benefits of active ageing and u3a membership. We set up BBC and Yorkshire Post interviews with legendary presenter Johnny Ball as he opened the u3a Festival in York. We placed an opinion piece in The Times from u3a CEO Iain Cassidy, as well as providing media training for him and the charity’s Chair and Vice-Chair.

We were especially excited when we heard about Melanie who competes for Team GB in powerlifting competitions and runs her own, incredibly popular, u3a weightlifting group that has attracted members as old as 87.

We discovered there was so much to Melanie’s story - a common theme with u3a case studies, these are all people who have lived interesting and eventful lives and who feel they have so much to share and a drive to get out and do things. She had taught in Africa before coming home to look after her parents. It was after her mother’s death that Melanie got into weightlifting as a way to stay fit both mentally and physically.

Since becoming a powerlifter for Team GB, Melanie has been able to travel the world, visiting Finland, South Africa, Mongolia, Scotland, Spain and France. Last year in South Africa she won a gold medal for the team. 

We wanted to pitch Melanie’s story somewhere that would maximise the opportunity to share her passionate advocacy. It made sense to us to place her story with the news team at The Sun - a title with huge reach, and one that often leads to follow ups across other media.

Cause Communication placed coverage for u3a case study Melanie in The Sun

Melanie’s story took off.  After appearing in The Sun, she was interviewed for the ‘Never Too Late’ segment that runs on Saturday mornings across BBC Radio Stoke, BBC Radio Shropshire, and BBC Hereford & Worcester. This week she travelled to London for a heart-warming interview with Josie and Rylan on the This Morning sofa, alongside another powerlifter - 88-year-old Mick. Melanie also demonstrated her skills to the astonished hosts by lifting 100kg live on air. Following her appearance on This Morning, Melanie was also featured in the Daily Mirror today!

Proof that a strong case study can have far reaching coverage as long as it’s strategically pitched and expertly told. Thank you, Melanie.

u3a powerlifter Melanie chats with Rylan and Josie Gibson on This Morning