For more than 200 years, the RNLI has saved lives at sea. Its volunteer crews and lifeguards work around the clock to prevent drowning and support anyone in danger in the water, backed by a network of lifeboat stations and training facilities across the UK and Ireland.
The Challenge
Ahead of World Drowning Prevention Day, the RNLI wanted to bring its water safety messaging to wider audiences. Find Your Float formed part of this activity, centred around one simple skill that could save a life long before a lifeboat arrives: floating.
It sounds instinctive. It isn’t. And everyone floats differently, so knowing how you float could one day save your life.
We brought 15 content creators to the RNLI College in Poole, choosing guests with a deliberate mix of swimming ability and content style spanning family, working life, outdoor adventure and lifestyle.
The aim was simple: immerse creators fully in the RNLI’s world, turning an important water safety message into an experience they had lived, not just a message they were handed.
The Result
From the moment guests arrived, the day was built to make Find Your Float impossible to ignore. It opened with a briefing from the RNLI’s Water Safety Manager, Ross MacLeod, and a talk from water safety advocate Megan Griffiths, who shared her own story of preventing drowning in memory of her brother Haydn.
Guests then headed into the Sea Survival Centre to learn how to find their float, before taking on dramatic storm simulations, raft deployments and platform jumps, putting the techniques into practice just as RNLI volunteers do during their training.
The activation was also supported by corporate partners Dryrobe® and XTRATUF with product and ambassador involvement, helping to bring the experience to life.
A tour of the lifeboat factory rounded out the day, giving guests a behind the scenes look at the scale of the RNLI’s lifesaving work. Nothing about it felt like a brand ask. It felt like an experience worth talking about, and that came through in the content that was shared.
Angles ranged from stat-led hooks to personal vulnerability, with creators sharing everything from their fear of open water and heights to a love of adventure and the outdoors. Every guest posted (in most cases more than once), and the response ran well beyond the day itself, generating almost 3M impressions as it built through to World Drowning Prevention Day and beyond.
But the real marker of success was what happened in the comments. Guests did not just post and move on. They stayed in the conversation, replying to their own communities with genuine advice on how to float, reassuring people who did not think they could, and explaining the technique in their own words. They became advocates for the RNLI’s water safety messaging, helping to keep the Float to Live message alive long after the initial post.
18
Potential reach
2.8
Impressions
2.41
Combined followers
116
$ Earned media value
757
Total reel & video plays
239
Posts
39
Total engagements
100
% Guest post rate
”Working with Brandwave on the RNLI's first creator event, Find Your Float, was a fantastic experience. Their creator relationships, event expertise, and support with logistics were instrumental in making the event a success.
We welcomed 15 creators, achieved a 100% guest post rate, and saw outstanding results, including one creator post generating over 460,000 impressions. Brandwave were great at keeping us on track and provided valuable guidance every step of the way.
Lucie WoodwardInfluencer Manager - RNLI
