Riverside’s Corporate Marketing team picked up the award for Best Not-For-Profit Campaign at the annual Northern Marketing Awards last night.

More than 400 people attended the event in Manchester to celebrate and reward marketing excellence in the region.

The award was for the Hardwick House digital marketing campaign, which used targeted Facebook and Twitter adverts to engage hard-to-reach veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

Amid a growing need for housing providers to operate more cost-effectively, the campaign reached more than 30,000 people with very little spend, and led to eight flats being let at the new Hardwick House Care and Support service for former forces personnel in Teesside.

It was a major scoop for Riverside’s Corporate Marketing team, despite tough competition from seven other contenders including Everton Football Club and South Yorkshire Police.

Hugh Owen, Director of Strategy and Public Affairs, said: “This is a great result for the marketing team, which was restructured last year and is now working in new ways.

“Doing more to tackle and prevent homelessness is one of Riverside’s big priorities between now and 2020, and engaging with more hard-to-reach groups is crucial in order to achieve our ambitious targets. We’re also transforming how we work through digital.

“The Hardwick House campaign shows how using social media and a bit of creative thinking can deliver great results – and for very little money.”