Activate
Freuds
Client: The Department for Health and Social Care
Childhood inactivity is rising, with over half of UK children – especially those in deprived areas – failing to meet daily activity guidelines. School holidays make it worse: no PE, no structure, and children glued to screens. Exercise can feel intimidating or “not for them”, and busy parents struggle to build habits their kids enjoy. So, we met children and parents where they already were - on screens. United by a shared vision, the Department of Health and Social Care, Joe Wicks, Studio AKA and Universal Music created Activate, a free animated series turning screen time into active time. Five minute episodes dropped weekly on YouTube, designed not to be watched, but joined in. Social was the engine. Teasers of Joe’s personal story, avatar reveals, character intros, short-form episode cut-downs, stitchable prompts, and UGC spotlights drove weekly participation. Joe amplified community content, while paid media targeted deprived postcodes to reach families most in need. In six weeks, Activate delivered 2.6 million YouTube views and 58,900 hours of movement. Paid social drove 32 million impressions, 136,000 clicks from deprived areas, and standout engagement – turning a social first campaign into lasting behaviour change.