Realbuzz
Building a Movement from Zero on TikTok
X2
Award winner
Running Against the Odds: Building a Movement from Zero on TikTok - how Jam took home gold at the Northern Digital Awards.
Known as the home of charity running, Realbuzz has been connecting charities with runners and the events they want to be a part of for over twenty years.
As the world’s leading provider of charity running programmes, they have facillitated over £1bn in vital fundraising for their charity partners.
The solution
Social Media
Influencer
The Challenge
Zero foundation
Realbuzz had no TikTok history and no existing followers.
Solution: We built a content calendar rooted in trend mapping, using insights from TikTok’s Creative Centre to identify sounds and styles already popular with runners.
Competing with global names
Against major brands with vast budgets, Realbuzz needed agility.
Solution: We leaned into humour, heart and relatable storytelling – the antidote to polished brand content.
Proving value with a small budget
With limited spend, every video had to perform.
Solution: We used data to double down on top formats, reinvesting only in creative that delivered high engagement or link clicks.
The Extraordinary Thinking
We started with data. TikTok’s #RunTok community had surpassed 13 billion views (TikTok, 2025). Statista found that 75% of fitness enthusiasts say social content inspires decisions, while Stackla reports 79% trust and act on user-generated content.
Meanwhile, 73% of Gen Z prefer brands that “show real people over celebrities” (Morning Consult).
The opportunity wasn’t to sell events – it was to sell experiences through real runners. Authenticity, not aspiration, would drive engagement.
The Solution
TikTok became the heart of the campaign, supported by organic amplification on Instagram Reels and Facebook to reach slightly older runners. Paid support boosted top-performing creative, keeping CPMs lean.
Our TikTok-first plan focused on three principles:
- Be where the community already runs. We immersed ourselves in RunTok culture, studying the formats, audio trends and humour that fuel its popularity.
- Build a person-led narrative. Every video would feature real people – charity runners, Jam team members, or relatable POVs – to make the account feel human from day one.
- Earn visibility through culture. We’d use trending sounds, hashtags and stitches to place Realbuzz naturally in people’s For You feeds.
Delivered
We developed a steady stream of social-first content that mirrored the runner’s jouney: fuelled by trends, designed to stop the scroll, drive engagement, and connect with the running community.
We ran low-cost boosts behind the highest-performing organic videos, optimised for reach rather than conversions. This test-and-learn approach kept the CPM at £1.66 – 36% below the TikTok industry benchmark.
With no budget for big names, we partnered with micro-influencers who were passionate about running and charity causes. Their sincerity fuelled trust.
We also engaged constantly in the comments – cheering users on, replying to duets, and celebrating personal milestones.
Results
From a standing start, the Realbuzz TikTok account became one of the UK’s fastest-growing charity running communities. In six months, we achieved:
Standout use of Tik Tok
Best use of Social Media
Judges feedback
“A clearly structured strategy, executed with consistency and strong platform understanding. The campaign makes excellent use of a personal, relatable approach to stretch a modest budget, creating authentic engagement through real people and storytelling rather than polished brand aesthetics.”
UK Digital Excellence Awards
