Make a Wish (irl) Ad

Make a Wish Foundation Ireland have had an ad made for them by Ogilvy and Mather. The agency got (in their own words) world-class Irish & international illustrators, TV production companies, animators, television networks, media owners, printers, ordinary joe-soaps and no less than John Hurt to chip in all their time and services free, gratis and for nothin’. The press, outdoor & TV that resulted is something we should all be very proud of.

The first time I saw the ad I kind of knew it was for Make A Wish, maybe because I know the organisation. John Hurts voice was a great call, its really engaging. But the ad didnt stop me in my tracks, it took 18 seconds before Make A Wish was mentioned and I think the call to action after that was a little vague. I dont want to sound like Im dumping on charity ads here all the time, I just think that when you have an opportunity like this you should make the call to action strong (I say this in criticism of work done by my own organisation too, so Im as critical of what we do too!).

Having said all that Make A Wish is a wonderful organisation that does great work with a small team and very limited resources, I really like them a lot, and hats off to Ogilvy for getting together all the people they did to pull this campaign off, looks like they have secured ad space worth half a million euros already.

Fred Hollows Foundation wins Gold Star Award

The Fred Hollows Foundation was the winner of the Gold Star Award for non-profit video advertising at this years IFC. I really liked this video, I was engaged by Fred’s story, I understood what Fred had done and I felt like I could be part of his legacy by supporting the foundation and have an impact, the quote from Fred saying that Every Eye is an Eye . I think the way the piece was put together was very moving too.  Well Done

Ian Haworth, RAPP’s Global Creative Director, says: “The winning film showed how a real, human story can evoke such an emotive response.  The awards demonstrate again the power of moving image.  It also highlights the huge opportunity we have to take film into the online space.  We have never before had the platforms we now have to deliver powerful relevant film content to our audiences.  People can be immersed in the content and interact with it.  This is going to be a new golden age of film.”
 
“This Award not only recognises excellence in fundraising videos but gives NGOs the opportunity to compare and learn from others doing the same thing.” adds Alan Bird, Marketing and Communications Director of the Resource Alliance.

New Barnardos (irl) TV ad

Paul Dervan was telling me about this ad. It’s really well made, some pretty powerful images, I think it certainly shows what things can impact a childs life and the impact that they have. Im not clear on how Barnardos help though after watching the ad? It does make you think though. My biggest issue with this ad is the Call to Action, or really the lack of it.

Resource Alliance Reveals Shortlisted Entries for International DRTV Award

The Resource Alliance,  has unveiled the top four entries shortlisted for the International DRTV Award for charities and NGOs – the Gold Star Award for Non-Profit Video Advertising 2009.  The shortlisted videos will be presented at the International Fundraising Congress (IFC) in Holland on 21 October, where delegates will vote live for the winning entry.
 
The Gold Star Award, now in its third year – sponsored by RAPP – is an internationally recognised award for best practice in charity and NGO DRTV advertising. The 2009 shortlisted entries are:

• Help Fred’s Work Shine On, Fred Hollows Foundation, developed in-house (Australia)
• What if? Action Aid, developed by Watson Phillips Norman / Mike Colling & Company (UK)
• Biggest Animal Rescue 2, RSPCA, developed by Whitewater (UK)
• Atifase, Operation Smile, developed by RAPP (UK)

Theshortlisted adverts are available to view on the website of the Resource Alliance, which stages the IFC, at:

• http://www.resource-alliance.org/ifc/gold_star_award_for_nonprofit_video_advertising/default.asp

Last year’s competition for the best DRTV appeal was won in a popular vote by the UK charity NSPCC, which beat off challenges from Canadian, Mexican and other UK NGOs.
 
“This Award not only recognises excellence in fundraising videos but gives NGOs the opportunity to compare and learn from others doing the same thing.  The DRTV adverts are to such a great standard this year and I’m looking forward to finding out which one wins on the night.” says Alan Bird, Marketing and Communications Director of the Resource Alliance.
 
For the first time, the Gold Star Award scheme was extended in 2009 to include online fundraising videos, not just DRTV.  This Award category had been introduced to recognise innovation in the use of new media platforms and to establish a ‘gold standard’ for the sector.  Most of the entries submitted for the category of online fundraising videos were DRTV adverts that had also been run online, rather than fundraising videos developed specifically for online use.  Therefore, the judges decided not to shortlist any of the entries for the online category this year.
 
Graham Page, RAPP’s Media Director, adds: “Online continues to be a challenging area for fundraisers. The key challenges being how do we create intriguing and compelling creative content and how we fully exploit the channels accountability.”

 I was delighted to be part of the judging panel along with some fantastic people. The shortlist was selected by a judging panel, featuring:

• Brad Bell, Head of Video, Whitewater
• Alan Bird, Marketing and Communications Director, Resource Alliance
• Conor Byrne, Director of Development UK & Ireland, Children’s Miracle Network, and Fundraising Blogger
• Kristina Fitzpatrick, Marketing Manager, Resource Alliance
• Graham Page, Media Director, RAPP
• Fabienne Pouyadou, Directrice des partenariats, CARE France
• Kaye Wiggins, Fundraising Reporter, Third Sector

Annual Events having no impact

Im against these events. I think events that have been running for a few years need to demonstrate an impact. There is an ad on the radio at the moment that says “Due to lack of Funding we can’t do X”

That’s how the ad starts, now maybe its just me but if I had held one of these events for the past 2/3/4 years I would like to hear how “Thanks to you we are now able to do X but we still need your help because…”

I think we need to demonstrate the impact our supporters are making, demonstrate how they are helping us, and then let them understand why we need their help still.

Just my 2 cents worth!

Adidas and Puma on Peace One Day

Im not 100% sure what to think of this. Part of me thinks its great, a great way to get two big brands involved, then part of me thinks it kind of belittles what some people have to go through in the world. What do you think?

Hunt for the Best Fundraising Video in the World

The Resource Alliance is seeking out the best fundraising video from across the world with the launch of the Gold Star Award for Non-Profit Video Advertising 2009.  For the first time, the Award scheme has been extended to include online fundraising videos, not just DRTV. 
 
Sponsored by Rapp, the Gold Star Award will be presented to the best fundraising video advert submitted from across the globe, selected by a live audience at the annual International Fundraising Congress (IFC) in Holland (20-23 October). 

To make a submission, fundraising videos must be uploaded to YouTube and an online application form completed online at www.goldstar-award.com. The judging panel will select a short list of the top entries, which will then be displayed at the IFC, where delegates will again get the chance to vote for the advert they think best.
 
Last year’s competition for the best DRTV appeal was won in a popular vote by the UK charity NSPCC, which beat off challenges from Canadian, Mexican and other UK NGOs.
 
Entry Details – Gold Star Award for Non-Profit Video Advertising
Upload fundraising videos at: www.youtube.com
Submit your applications at: www.goldstar-award.com
Deadline for submissions: 25 September 2009

Cancer Research UK – Powerful Ad

Well done Cancer Research UK, this really got me

Keep it simple

I sometimes get frustrated when I see things being overcomplicated. Simple is beautiful! This video is a reminder of that. Thanks Paul for showing it to me, hope I didnt steal your thunder by posting it!

Doing good Outdoor

Sometimes we are lucky enough to get a budget to do outdoor, or even better we get the space donated.  Sometimes I see non profit outdoor ads and just think…what a wasted opportunity. They are crowded, full of images and text, no clear message, over complicated.

Well if you are given the chance, don’t waste it. Follow this advice from Paul on How to do Good Outdoor (Paul has also previously offered to help out non-profits so if you are thinking of doing outdoor, send it to him and he will critique for you)

Outdoor advertising is difficult. It looks simple but it is not. Why? Because it requires the ultimate in communication focus.

With TV, you have time to build a story. You use visual cues, time, movement, story, character building, dialogue and music – all to help you make a point. Radio has some of these advantages too. As does online. Even press gives you more time to make your case, give more information.

Not outdoor. You have to stop your audience, grab their attention and try and get your message across – all in the space of a few seconds before they move on.

So it is not easy. But here are some guiding principles:

1. Clear Brief. Be very, very clear on what the most important message from your brief was. Most brands have more than one thing to say. They desperately want their audience to know the full story. They feel they are not doing their product justice if they don’t try and get a few messages into the ad. They may be right but outdoor media is not good for this. If you have several messages, you may decide to use other media instead. This requires discipline.
2. Comprehension in every execution. I was taught that every piece of communication needs to hold its own. It is not good enough to say that when you see the TV ad, the outdoor will make sense. This is lazy. If your outdoor is a scene from the TV ad, your audience still need to comprehend the message from your outdoor. The golden rule I go by is: Not understanding the creative is not ideal, but is forgivable. Not understanding the message is not.
3. Single image. Make sure your visual stands out. From a distance, can your audience see what you want them to see? (And read what you need them to read?) I personally prefer a single image. So for example, in the billboard above, having this single image of a bottle works better than having 4 or 5 bottles. This allows it to stand out better.
4. Demand colour contrast. The Club Orange bottle does stand out above, although personally I’d have gone for a white background. Think the blue is a bit weak. But at least it is not against an orange or red background.
5. Aim for simplicity. Your visual should ideally amplify your message. And should be simple. Here the Club Orange ad is good. I’m assuming the brief says something like “Exaggerate the idea that Club Orange is made from real oranges, proved by fact that it has real orange bits“. The outdoor ad does this, by showing the bottle cut in half exposing the oranges.
6. Headline. No copy. You really only have room for a headline. No copy. This depends a bit on the ad format but the general rule is – the shorter your headline, the better. Part of this is a font size discussion. The longer the headline, the smaller you need to make the font. The smaller the font, the less chance it will be read. There are exceptions when headlines can be too big. Although this is less about size and more about the fact the words are competing with the image.
7. Careful with caps. Unless your headline is just a word or two, don’t WRITE YOUR HEADLINE IN CAPS. Caps are difficult to read.
8. Branding. Make sure your ad is well branded. Don’t hide your logo away. Some agency folk will hate this but remember your audience need to associate the message with you. You see your brand every day and you may be sick of seeing your brand properties, but most people hardly notice. As long as comprehension is not compromised, make sure your ad is as strongly branded as it can be. Also, I’d avoid any teaser outdoor campaigns. Teasers assume people will look at the ad, wonder what it is for and be interested. Most people just don’t care. Unless you’re loaded with cash, I’d keep away from them.
9. Humour works. I was taught to always be careful with humour. What I think is funny, others might not. But if you know your audience and know what they like, research suggests that an ad that makes them smile will increase recall. Makes sense I guess.
10. People and animals. Research also suggests that using people and animals can increase recall. I’ve see research on the bit on people before.
11. White space is good. Give your headline and your image space to breath. Don’t feel compelled to add a sub head if you can avoid it. This will add clutter and decrease readership and recall. Less is more. Keep contrast in mind when placing headlines. If you have white font, make sure none of the headline is against a light background.

Of course there will always be exceptions. Like this. No problem. Once you know the principles, you can make an educated decision about breaking them.

Paul has said he will post some good examples in the coming weeks, here is one

You Tube Launches clickable ads for non-profits

Last week YouTube launched a new feature called ‘Call to Action’ for Non-profit Partners, allowing them to place overlay ads linking direct to their own website on their YouTube videos – for free. The clickable ads can direct viewers to any webpage, such as a secure donation page – essentially making YouTube videos into online DRTV ads.

To test the new feature, last Sunday YouTube placed a video for charity:water on its homepage, complete with a clickable overlay encouraging viewers to donate to fund water wells – and generated a very impressive $10,000 in donations in one day. So it certainly seems to work!

The test video was on the YouTube homepage so that may have something to do with the results, however we all embed these videos from You Tube onto our websites so its another way to have that donate button appear, especially after a compelling story. If you’re a UK or US non-profit click here to register as a Non-profit Partner

Came across this on Bryan Millers page on UK Fundraising and the original source is  Giving in a Digital World

Lost Generation

This is great, saw it on Paul’s blog (his blogs not bad either!), done for AARP

Get someone else to make your ads for you…for free

I hope Nick doesnt mind me re posting this from his (great) blog. When I read it I immediatley thought that charities should be doing this, with their service users replacing the customer in Nicks post. With that in mind, read Nicks post….

No we don’t have a Trader Joe’s here. And I don’t know if they’re planning it. Probably not yet, because they’ve got a big chunk in the middle of the US that they don’t trade at yet. Interesting retail brand to check out though. A great place to go, if you’re ‘Looking for great food at great prices, without the gimmicks’ (apart from the big fat Hawaiian theme they have going on).

Anyway, if you want a brilliant example of customer power in the new social media space that I’ve been warbling on about, check out the video below.

The total cost to the retailer? Not even peanuts. In fact the total cost to anyone was probably one day of a nerd’s time strumming on a guitar and editing pics of his last trip to TJ’s. Reminds me of the many, many commercials I’ve written for some of our better known Irish supermarkets. Months in gestation. Weeks in production. Casting ‘perfect’ mummies and adorably ‘average’ children in ‘wildly’ implausible set-ups.

What I mean of course is that these ads depicted people shopping. Happily. As if.

Not Trader Joe’s. Ask me they’re saying ‘We don’t take our look too seriously. You shouldn’t either. Just look at the stuff we sell, and if you want some, get some. ‘ And I like that.

It works. Almost 150, 000 people have deliberately gone looking to watch this three minute, lovingly assembled piece of flotsam. Over 300 EXTREMELY VALUABLE comments from people who care enough to write their opinions. And this is only on YouTube. If I go blogsearching, guaranteed I’ll find a stack more commentary on this silly but likeable homemade homage to a brand’s intangible something.

As David Armano says, the brand isn’t what you say it is, it’s what they say it is. In fact he explains better than I can what you should be doing about it.

A spin too far ?!

Biggest Animal Rescue

This is my favourite TV ad at the moment. Every time it come on my better half goes “ahhhhh” and we talk about getting a dog out of a rescue when we move to a house.  The ad is a move for RSPCA away from the typical format of ads which were telling stories of animals abused and neglected, before being rescued by RSPCA Inspectors. Most of the scenes were filmed by “actors” (both human and animal) so while they were affective they maybe lacked a bit of reality. This ad is instead based in reality real, fronted by the Chief Inspector and showed real RSPCA rescue animals waiting for new loving homes.

Its a great ad and there is a great supporting microsite. The concept was devised by Whitewater