The AdNews NGen blog: Contributions from the people who need it most

I am very curious about the advertising approach of charities.

From a media point of view they tend to have very small budgets and need a lot of free support from the publishers and broadcasters. From a creative point of view, I imagine it would be a very similar story.

For their category, charities over-index on awards won…

Why?

The small budgets and strict guidelines force marketers and advertisers alike to think very laterally about their approach – they can’t afford to make an ad with gorillas walking the streets as fighter jets pass over head, then cut to a train that turns into a roller-coaster through the city with the tagline “What are you thinking right now?” - then throw a few million to their media agency to distribute it.

But it’s these restrictions that force us to think a bit harder about our strategy – and this is where ideas like 'Grow a Moustache and change the face of men’s health' are born.

I’m not here to talk about Movember (but seriously, one in nine men end up with prostate cancer in their lives – please donate…) I’m here to talk about the thinking behind it and how clever it is.

As we can’t afford to send our brand message out to the masses, we have created a month where the masses become the brand message.

If you walk past someone in the street with a moustache in November you know they are raising money for charity (or about to steal your children).

By becoming the brand, there is a strong emotional connection, and the 2011 campaign appears to be stronger than any other year to date.

By using social media and a small amount of above-the-line media the message speaks for itself.

Sponsors jump on board and share the message, the media gets behind it and reports on it – it snowballs very quickly.

Prostate cancer isn’t exactly the most talked about topic at the dinner table. It’s awkward and people don’t feel comfortable discussing it.

This is one of the main challenges most charities face – how to get people talking about these issues when they instead could be discussing something trendier like Pippa’s bum.

The McGrath foundation also does a great job in taking an uneasy topic and getting everyone talking about it and engaging them.

Pink wickets and stadiums broadcast to the world once a year (as one example of their efforts) gets everyone talking and donating to a worthy cause.

A simple, but clever idea can change the behaviour of millions, there are numerous examples from all over the world and that’s what some brands (charities in particular) do so well – by engaging consumers and having a good old fashioned conversation with them, they can change a consumers behaviour in no time at all.

That’s what it’s all about it, isn’t it? Engagement is great, but is fruitless unless consumers act on the message.

It’s for these reasons when I see an ad on TV for, say, an air conditioner - I can’t help but wonder why these brands don’t take a look at what the charities are doing and follow suit.

Volkswagen and Coca-Cola are two (non-charity) brands that aim to change behaviour with their ‘Fun Theory’ and ‘Friendship Machine’ campaigns. The results from these campaigns show just how effective this approach can be – I just wish there was more of it.

Andrew Drinkell
MEC