Representation at the Centre of Award-Winning Digital Marketing Campaign
At the Cork Digital Marketing Awards 2026
In 2026, my work with Circus Factory Cork won the award for Best Use of Digital Marketing for the Greater Good at Cork Chamber’s Cork Digital Marketing Awards.
Circus Factory was a finalist in three other categories, including:
Best use of Instagram
Best in Content Creation
Best Social Media Campaign (I won the award for Best Social Media Campaign in 2023)
Why am I sharing the application with you?
I don’t believe in gate keeping information., especially when it comes to non-profits and the arts. The more people who can understand and do what I do, the better it is for everybody.
What was the Award-Winning Digital Campaign?
Goal: Representation
To show that Circus is For Every Body, in other words, to show that anybody can do circus, not just typical able-bodied people.
Circus Factory is a CLG and is funded by the Arts Council and Cork City Council in a very competitive landscape.
This initiative received funding to work with the Crann Centre in Ballincollig who support children and adults living with congenital, progressive, or acquired neuro-physical disabilities, and their family members across Cork and Munster.
Circus Factory went to Ballincollig for 18 months, delivering regular workshops in juggling, plate spinning, hula hooping, and flower sticks, then in April, those participants came to Circus Factory to do Aerial for the first time. It wasn’t just aerial; it was rigging their wheelchairs to fly.
Circus Factory then partnered with UK rigging experts ExtraOrdinary Bodies and brought them over to join us for three days in April to deliver the final part of the project. The three days consisted of group warm-ups, trying out different aerial equipment and showing of their circus skills.
Members from the Ballincollig Crann Centre, parents, Circus Factory, and ExtraOrdinary Bodies speak to the Irish Examiner about the project
How Did We Raise Awareness of the Project?
We predominantly used social media to raise awareness of the work. We were successful in featuring in other channels from the success of the digital marketing campaign, which we mentioned in the significant achievement section.
Our main channels were Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and all content and media attention was organic. No paid advertisements were used. We used video mainly to raise awareness; however, photo carousels proved successful.
Instagram: we shared reels, photos and did stories each day to show them warming up. For Instagram, we would “collab” with the project partners to increase reach (Crann Centre, ExtraOrdinary Bodies, Cirque Bijou and Diverse City).
Facebook: similar to Instagram, however, reaching different audiences
LinkedIn: to reach professionals and potential funders to showcase the work, and also to network with partner organisations like the Crann Centre
When it comes to working with vulnerable people and children, there’s a thin line between exploitation and showcasing, especially in the public eye. We want to tell the world what we’re doing and why it’s brilliant, but not at the cost of exploiting the participants.
We took careful consideration when posting content, writing copy and ensuring consent. We got consent not only from the family but from the participants themselves. Although they heavily rely on family and carers, it was important that they wanted it to be shared, so they had the final say.
Post-project we're currently using radio interview audio to overlay clips of the project to send the radio interview and the work further as well as gathering support for a Go Fund Me or to attract big funders.
How We Measured the Impact
We measured the impact through qualitative and quantitative methods
Qualitative
Post-event survey sent to parents of children.
“Unforgettable experience and the joy and laughter when you go into the room to watch each child of different abilities having the time of their lives.”
“She had an amazing time and cried when it was over. She loved the freedom of it.”
“The only way this could improve is if the experience was made available to these kids again the future.”
Online users engaging with the posts
“As a full-time electric wheelchair user, watching this has made tear up and super emotional, this is just so wonderful”
“Wow. A big wish of my wheelchair bound child, Lucy, was to fly like this.”
International Reach
“What state is this located in? Could they possibly bring this to the United States of America to some disabled clients that are confined in wheelchairs too in Rhode Island”
“Translated from Spanish “What a beautiful experience, I would love my son to live it. I have my 11 year old boy with AME, I get very excited to see the images”
Some participants proudly showcased their skills at National Children’s Day celebrations in City Hall.
These children, and children and adults across the world, can now see a different future for themselves and what new experiences they can have.
Quantitative
Sample #1
“Truly ExtraOrdinary things are happening at Circus Factory this week ❤️
What are we doing this week in Circus Factory?
Circus Factory has been working with @cranncentre for the past 18 months, bringing accessible circus skills to their young people. This week, a UK charity, @extraordinary_bodies, who are experts at rigging, will also be working with them and will be rigging wheelchairs so the young people at The Crann Centre can also experience what it feels like to fly!
The project is supported by
@artscouncilireland
@corkcitycouncil @corkcityart”
Stats:
Views: 797,344
Reach: 471,680+
Likes: 22,562+
Comments: 650+
Reposts: 932+
Shares: 4,401+
Saves: 1,308+
Follows directly from it: 784+
Sample #2
“We're heading into Day 3, our final day of this life-changing project with @cranncentre and @extraordinary_bodies and we have a feeling the kids will want to go "up, up, up" even higher 💛
What are we doing this week in Circus Factory?
Circus Factory has been working with @cranncentre for the past 18 months, bringing accessible circus skills to their young people. This week, a UK charity, @extraordinary_bodies, who are experts at rigging, will also be working with them and will be rigging wheelchairs so the young people at The Crann Centre can also experience what it feels like to fly!
The project is supported by
@artscouncilireland
@corkcitycouncil @corkcityart”
Stats:
Views: 793,181+
Reach: 468,611+
Likes: 22,372+
Comments: 647+
Reposts: 931+
Shares: 4,397+
Saves: 1,302+
Follows directly from it: 780+
Sample #3
“"She [daughter] had an amazing time and cried when it was over. She loved the freedom of it." Feedback from one of the parents from our incredible project with @extraordinary_bodies back in April.
Most of the feedback was asking for this work to happen more, and we trying to make it happen. We rented the winch and hired in experts for this project. To make this work as a regular thing, we need our own equipment and staff training. If you can help / support / donate , drop us a message or email!
Circus Factory has been working with @cranncentre for 18 months, bringing accessible circus skills to their young people. In April, a UK charity, @extraordinary_bodies, who are experts at rigging, also be worked with them, rigging wheelchairs so the young people at The Crann Centre could also experience what it feels like to fly!
The project was supported by
@artscouncilireland
@corkcitycouncil @corkcityart”
Stats:
Sample #3
Views: 162,679
Reach: 16,234
Likes: 6,420
Comments: 193
Reposts: 204
Shares: 693
Saves: 261
Follows directly from it: 171
How We Achieved Our Goal of Representation: That Circus is for Every Body
For Circus Factory
Coverage from Cork Radio station Cork’s 96fm - radio interview & street fleet
Feature in Cork’s Evening Echo (print) and Echo Live (online)
Video on Irish Examiner's website
We got more media coverage for submitting to Cork Redfm’s Free Food Friday and winning. Circus Factory is flying wheelchairs with the Crann Centre was mentioned multiple times.
Our Social media account grew by 1,343 followers since the Aerial Wheelchairs project in April
Increased visibility for us in Cork
Increased interest from funding authorities to develop this work further and increase frequency
We went viral, and the boost from that video means more of Circus Factory’s work is being seen and appreciated
We’re reaching a bigger audience and potentially diversifying funding opportunities.
Representation
An unexpected result from the initiative was the provision of representation. One of the participants, a teenager, was speaking to one of our coaches about the experience and our coach showed them a professional circus artists with the exact same disabilities as the teenager. She said he’s like me! And now she wants to start training circus. Mainstream media and pop culture aren’t showing the smaller work being done, especially circus.
Partner Profiles
We’ve raised the profile of ExtraOrdinary Bodies in the UK, and Crann Centre in Ballincollig. Both have used assets and metrics from this initiative in their funding applications and pitches.
The initiative also significantly increased awareness of the Crann Centre whose key fundraising week was soon after the initiative.
Requests
We’ve received multiple requests from the work to be carried out worldwide. We’ve developed responses based on their request ie. if they are UK-based, we direct them to ExtraOrdinary Bodies who will receive an increase in demand for their work, resulting in increased funding in the future to continue the work outside of Ireland.
