When Age UK set out to grow support for older people across the UK, they wanted more than another seasonal campaign. Working with Medialab Group and Ozone, the charity set out to test new ways of reaching its core donor base of people aged over 65, in the trusted, high-attention environments they already read, know and trust. All while proving that innovative digital execution could hold its own against traditional channels like direct response television (DRTV).
The result was a two-phase strategy spanning winter 2025 and the first quarter of 2026. The campaign ultimately not only lifted brand awareness and donations, but overturned some long-held assumptions about which audiences actually donate…
A campaign built to respond in real time
Rather than taking a more traditional route and running static creative for an extended period, Ozone and Medialab Group tag teamed to build a campaign that reacted to the world around it. Studiozone, our in-house creative team, used dynamic creative optimisation to adjust messaging based on live weather data, sharpening the urgency of Age UK’s appeal whenever temperatures dropped below 10 degrees. With contextual targeting layered on top of this, the ads were also aligned with news and cultural moments, helping the charity’s messaging land at the moments it mattered most.
The first phase, running through the final quarter of 2025, focused on winter awareness. Display and video-wrap formats were designed to build visibility around the festive period and sudden cold snaps. The second phase, in the first quarter of 2026, built on that momentum with a full-funnel push: refreshed creatives, high-impact cross-device skins, and video wrap formats designed to create emotional resonance and convert attention into donations.
Across both phases of the campaign, on-site pixel tracking was implemented, which connected exposure directly to real-world behaviour, giving Age UK visibility into donations and audience journeys.
The results
- The campaign delivered a charitable 23% full-funnel brand lift, and drove conversions 19% more effectively than DRTV.
- Our performance metrics reinforced this: video view-through-rate came in 40% above benchmark.
- Weather-triggered creative drove a click-through rate 4.4x higher than benchmark, and contextually targeted formats delivered an impressive click-through rate 25% above benchmark.
- Cost efficiency also improved, with cost per view landing 57% below forecast, and the indexed cost per acquisition falling by 23% as the campaign moved from brand-led to performance-focused activity.
Rewriting the donor profile
Perhaps the most striking finding came from our Connected Intelligence data. The assumption going in was that Age UK’s donor base skewed heavily towards the over-65s. The data told a different story. 69% of donation completions actually came from people aged 18 to 64, with under-35s alone accounting for 29% of completions.
Behavioural data also revealed donors’ strong interest in personal finance, retirement planning, books, and home and garden content, insight that can shape future targeting. Ozone’s Premium Audience ID further showed that most site visitors and donors arrived via mobile and Safari, with our ID solution extending addressable reach to drive 80% of audiences overall.
From ad to action
The engagement data demonstrated the impact of contextual targeting around relevant news and cultural events across Ozone’s Platform, as well as temperature responsive DCO messaging. Overall, Click-through rates ramped up through mid-November and peaked in mid-December, tracking closely with falling temperatures – proof that Age UK’s message carries extra weight at the moments it matters the most.
For Ozone, the campaign is a clear demonstration of what connected, real-time targeting can do for a charity partner. Not simply a lift in awareness, but a measurable, funnel-wide impact on donations alongside a genuine reframing of who a “typical” donor actually is.
Showcasing how we are testing new opportunities and thinking creatively and innovatively is key for us at Age UK, and the results from this campaign are really solid. Ozone and Medialab Group delivered a strong full-funnel strategy that proved the value of innovative digital execution. We look forward to building on this success and working more closely with Ozone over the coming years.
Leah Mates
Chief Income Officer – Age UK
If you’re interested to find out how Ozone can support your upcoming campaign plans, get in touch.
