Client: Hungarian research partner of the EMCDDA (the EU drugs agency, today EUDA) — European Web Survey on Drugs
Engagement: 2020 – 2021
Services: recruitment strategy, social media campaign planning & execution
The number that matters: target of 2,000 completed questionnaires → 50,000+ respondents
The challenge
Recruit active illicit drug users — a hidden, hard-to-reach population — to voluntarily complete an anonymous online survey. The topic sits at the edge of every ad platform’s policy: in several of the 31 participating countries, campaigns were blocked or delayed by the platforms themselves. And all of it had to work on a research-grade budget.
What we did
We started where good campaigns start: with research. We analysed the recruitment strategies of previous comparable studies, defined the target groups together with the researchers, and translated them into concrete targeting algorithms for social media ads. We tested multiple targeting patterns and channels in parallel, then narrowed spend to what demonstrably worked. Every creative and every placement was prepared and submitted to the platforms well before launch — so approval issues were solved before they could become delays. During the campaign, we reviewed recruitment numbers with the research team weekly and adjusted in real time. As the client put it: “Everything was in place long before the launch of our campaign.”
The results
- 50,000+ respondents against a target of 2,000 completed questionnaires — 25× the goal
- 7,000+ fully completed questionnaires — 3.5× the original target on the strictest metric alone
- The most effective recruitment campaign of all 31 participating countries — in absolute numbers and relative to population
- Zero campaign blocks or delays on a highly sensitive topic, while several other countries’ campaigns were stopped by the platforms
Why it matters
This is what senior campaign planning looks like: every risk was handled before launch. When preparation meets disciplined testing, even a “hidden” audience on a sensitive topic — on a research-grade budget — can be reached at scale.
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