Barnado's had to battle a steep decline in donations, fuelled by tough economic times, as well as an increase in competition, as other charities fought for a share of the public's purse. The charity for vulnerable children needed to establish deep emotional connections to its brand to encourage long-term support.
It also needed to drive immediate donations.
Barnardo's decided to shift its communications strategy from telling people what it did, to sharing with them the core beliefs that drive its work. Television was chosen as the key channel owing to its ability to convey and inspire emotions. The agency devised a 'life story' ad that told the tale of a young person helped by Barnado's. For maximum emotional impact the story was told in reverse, starting with a secure young father and ending with a scared child and the slogan: 'It doesn't have to end like it began.'
A deal with Channel 4 saw ads airing around documentaries when viewers were in a thoughtful mood, while an interactive digital version enabled people to click through and find out more about Barnardo's work. A launch 'roadblock' saw the ad running across all of Channel 4's channels for 90 seconds on the night of launch. Direct mail and outbound calling supported the campaign.
Judges praised Barnardo's entry as standing out in a well-supported category with a 'good return and a strong theme overall'. The campaign resulted in an increase in financial gifts, volunteers and donations to Barnardo's shops as well as lifting pride among Barnardo's employees.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Digital UK and Switchover Help Scheme
The Switchover Help Scheme targeted the hard-to-reach 5% of people who needed extra support to negotiate the switchover from analogue to digital television. The Help Scheme needed to communicate its message to a diverse audience, such as older and disabled people, for whom new technology might be a puzzling prospect and who might not always decode advertising in the usual way.
The scheme adopted a marketing strategy that aimed to communicate a clear message - 'we will provide everything you need to switch one TV to digital'. A further set of communications targeted friends and family who could pass the message on.
Before the campaign the scheme was struggling to raise awareness among adults generally and the hard-to-reach. After the campaign it hit targets more consistently.
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