How we supported the ‘March for the Brain’ event in Stromovka

At TRITON IT, we are a partner of the Právě teď association, with whom we collaborated this year on the ‘March for the Brain’ event. The event, which aimed to promote physical activity and mental well-being, took place on 27 March in Prague’s Stromovka Park and at hundreds of other locations across the Czech Republic.

Walk for the Brain — **Fig. 1:** A total of three circuits, measuring 1, 2 and 4 km in length, were laid out for the participants.

Who is Právě teď! o.p.s.?

Právě teď! o.p.s. is a Prague-based non-profit organisation dedicated to comprehensive engagement programmes for older people. Its work encompasses educational, sporting and community activities, ranging from memory training and Nordic walking to intergenerational gatherings. The organisation has won numerous awards and is behind the ‘Walk for the Brain’ project.

Just under a year ago, we took part in a Brain Development workshop organised for us by Právě teď right here in our offices in Zličín, Prague. We came away with techniques that help us with time management, coping with stressful situations and relaxing after demanding tasks. During subsequent meetings, we gained a better understanding of how the organisation helps older people lead active lives and what its work in the field of social responsibility entails. When Právě teď approached us with a request for marketing support for this year’s Walk for the Brain, we knew we wanted to be part of it, and we accepted.

Walk for the Brain

The Walk for the Brain is an event aimed at promoting physical activity and mental well-being, following on from the Brain Week festival held in March. Participants can take part anywhere in the Czech Republic and register their walks in a nationwide system.

Last year, participants walked a total of 46,485 kilometres. The most active among them manage an average of up to 13 km a day. People across all generations are taking part in the project; among the active participants are even people approaching their nineties, who walk over 1,000 kilometres a year. Eva Pavlová is the project’s ambassador, and Alexandra Udženija has taken on the patronage of the event in Prague.

Event programme

The programme began with an introductory session and the announcement of the most active participants from the previous year. This was followed by a brain warm-up focusing on coordination and engaging both hemispheres, supplemented by basic physical exercises. The programme also included a more relaxed session with music and dancing (jive and cha-cha) led by the organisation Taneční bez obleku, with musical accompaniment provided by DJ Růžový partner.

Walk for the Brain – Introduction — **Fig. 2:** The venue for the ‘March for the Brain’ event was in Prague’s Stromovka Park, at a spot known as Gauč.

The main part was the walk itself. In Stromovka, circuits of 1, 2 and 4 km were set up, and participants chose their own pace and route. More than 250 walkers of all ages set off on the walk. After registering for the walk via a QR code – which we helped participants to scan – everyone received a small snack from our partner Danone and a participant’s badge.

Marketing support for the march

Our aim was to strengthen the marketing aspect of the project and help bring the Walk for the Brain to more locations across the country. The key challenge was that the campaign was not aimed at individuals who would take part in the walk on their own initiative. Instead, we focused on people who have the capacity to organise such an event, namely cultural and sports officers, representatives of local authorities, town halls and community centres.

We utilised our hyperlocal campaigns, which enable precise geographical targeting. We focused on smaller towns with up to 5,000 inhabitants, where community events of this kind have the greatest impact. We collected and prepared the necessary geolocation data and created a communication concept and creative assets explaining how easy it is to organise a march and get involved in the nationwide initiative.

**Fig. 3:** We have created several creative variations for geotargeting campaigns.

At the same time, we have put together a comprehensive training course on PPC campaigns for the Právě teď team, so that they can manage them independently in future. The association has received credits from Seznam to launch campaigns and can now develop its activities independently.

These activities have led to a significant increase in the number of locations where the marches take place. Whilst around 180 locations took part last year, this year there were over 240 across the country.

campaign results — **Fig. 4**: Over the course of the month, our campaigns generated nearly 2 million impressions, of which more than 350,000 were from unique IP addresses.

Following the successful campaign, we decided to support the event by attending in person. We enjoyed a pleasant afternoon in Prague’s Stromovka Park and were able to capture the whole event up close. We intend to continue helping with the organisation in the coming years, which is why we took a camera along to the event. Production was handled by Antonín Pulkrab, who has many years of experience at Czech Television, together with cameraman and editor Filip Ouzký. The footage captured will serve as the basis for developing campaigns, improving communication with local authorities and reaching target groups more effectively next year. With the growing number of participating locations and attendees, we were able to view the entire project from an operational perspective.

It is becoming clear that, alongside marketing support, the organisation of data, communication and coordination across hundreds of participating venues is playing an increasingly important role. It is precisely in this area that we see scope for the project’s future development – towards greater efficiency, simpler organisation for organisers, and better engagement of participants and partners.