Brands give homepages for homeless youth with #NoHomeAddress campaign via Ogilvy

Chris Pash
By Chris Pash | 13 October 2020

Australian brands gave up their website homepages to support thousands of at-risk youth who have no home address.

The #NoHomeAddress campaign, co-ordinated by the advertising and media industry’s social purpose organisation UnLtd On World Homeless Day October 10, raised more than  $220,000 for Whitelion. 

Whitelion is a not-for-profit organisation that specialises in the rehabilitation of at-risk youth, many of whom do not have a place to call home often through no fault of their own.

The first step in Whitelion’s process is establishing a “fixed address” in whichever capacity is possible. Something as simple as an address helps transform the lives of at-risk youth, because it is the gateway to critical services, such as Centrelink benefits, Medicare and finding employment.

The innovative pro-bono marketing campaign was created by Ogilvy with media support from Wavemaker, PR support from H+K Strategies and research support by Kantar. Companies donating their homepage for the day included Domain, News Corp, Broadsheet, ASAHI, NBL and CUB, plus many more.

Gavin McLeod, executive creative director at Ogilvy said: “We saw an opportunity to leverage online browsing behaviours in the attempt to place a spotlight on this issue and asked some of Australia’s biggest brands to donate their digital home address to help those who don’t have a fixed address of their own.”

The campaign also saw major support from many media organisations who donated inventory to promote the campaign.

Jun Sayabath, investment manager at Wavemaker: “It’s been a tough year for many, and I can only imagine how difficult it has been for young people who do not have a place to call home." 

Hang Vo, CEO of Whitelion, says the idea of #NoHomeAddress came from Whitelion’s experience helping young people at risk find employment.

"Recently we worked with a young woman who slept in her car each night and turned up to work every day on time, and a young man who lived in a dangerous boarding house but still put on a suit to go to job interviews," says Vo.

"These young people want to work, they try to work – but at the end of the day with no safe home to sleep and shower in, maintaining the job becomes nearly impossible. 

"We are so grateful for UnLtd and the media industry for their incredible support of this campaign. The money raised will give thousands of young people access to critical services and set them on a path towards their own home address.”

The campaign is live until the end of the month.

Australian organisations donating homepages: 
• News.com.au
• Realestateview.com
• Domain
• ASAHI
• NBL
• CUB
• Nestle
• Ogilvy
• 3x3 Hustle
• Sir Harold Apparel
• Holdstock Law
• Optus Bus Centre- Business SICT
• Cube Group
• Group Prezzie
• Taking the Reins
• M5 Management
• Welleco
• Spec Solar
• Infrastructure Advisory Group
• Melbourne Boomers
• Devouring Inferno
• MelbourneLeanIn
• 3Dynamics
• EA Insurance
• LK Property Group
• First Ever
• Amity Real Estate
• Infochoice
• Wallstreet
• Omnia Bistro and Bar
• Frankly
• Profusion
• Broadsheet
• Blue Connections IT
• Wunderman Thompson
• Volkswagen
• VMLY&R
• Cannings Purple
• Phuel

Additional media support from:
• TV: Network 9, 7, 10, WIN
• OOH – Tonic Health Media, oOh! Media, JCDecaux, QMS
• Radio – ARN, Nine Radio
• Digital – InMobi, TimeOut, News.com.au, Verizon, Junkee, Seven West Media, The Brag Media, Broadsheet, BuzzFeed, Nine Digital, Mamamia, LadBible, Nova Entertainment, Twitch, 10 Digital, Snapchat, Pedestrian TV, SENSIS / WhitePages


#NoHomeAdress campaign credits:

Client: Whitelion
Jasmin Lesniak: Manager Events & Engagement
Lauren Gatt: Events & Partnership Lead

Ogilvy Sydney
Executive Creative Director: Gavin McLeod
Creative Director: Luke Hawkins
Art director: Simon Dalla Pozza
Copywriter: Lewis Aramayo
Chief Strategy Officer: Toby Harrison
Senior Strategist: Magdalena Tomislav
Group Account Director: Damien Pashby
Senior Account Manager: Sarah Brown
Digital Operations Director: Pedro da Palma Rosa
Technical Lead: Cahyadi Hendrawan
Project Manager: Bastien Legay

Wavemaker
Peter Andrew: Client and Communications Manager
Laurence McLachlan: Digital Operations Manager
Lam La: Digital Analyst
Jun Sayabath: Senior Manager, Investment & Activation
Jeremy Tan: Digital Manager
Monique Foy: Digital Executive

Hill+Knowlton Strategies
Mandy Galmes: CEO
Amelia Tipping: Head of Consumer
Melanie Carnaffan: Assistant Account Executive
Omari Elliott: Junior Account Manager
Hayley Debernardi: Account Manager
Katherine Schofield: Social and Influencer Specialist

Kantar
Patrick Nicoll: Client Executive – Media and Digital
Mark Henning: Executive Director – Media and Digital
Allan Breiland: Senior Director – Media and Digital

UnLtd:
Katie Feder: Key Account Director
Kate Holland: Account Manager
Rachel Troy: COO | Head of Social Impact Partnerships
Tiffany Damm: General Manager Melbourne

 

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