2021 Gold Charity

Agency: MBAstack

Client: Solace Women's Aid

Campaign Name: #MakeItStop

Campaign Overview

During the early months of the pandemic demand for Solace Women's Aid counselling services doubled.

As a Christmas lockdown loomed, Solace desperately needed funds for its therapeutic service

Strategy

Throughout 2020, Solace talked about 'Coming out of Crisis’, describing how the pandemic continued to affect women it supports.

As Christmas 2020 approached the brief came with two problems.

First changing Covid-19 rules left the campaign at risk of being out of date, as Eat Out To Help Out turned to ‘rule of 6’ then a ban on indoor mixing.

Secondly, while the budget made video on Solace's website and Twitter affordable, the narrative around domestic abuse, leaving a hideous relationship, and dealing with the psychological effects was too lengthy for the format to be viable.

But a PTSD case study was discovered nestling in the brief, describing domestic abuse flashbacks.

This became the centrepiece of the campaign.

Creativity

A domestic Christmas scene was filmed, taking the viewer back to the beginning of a story just as progress was made: imagine the hell of being stuck in a Christmas song loop, playing over and over - for domestic abuse victims there's no 'off switch’.

The message was that without proper therapeutic help they will be trapped in the loop of PTSD.

The visual and sonic repetition - juxtaposed with merry festive surroundings - made the viewer feel uncomfortable, reinforced by the voiceover.

Fundraising for therapeutic services is challenging - it can seem 'soft' and out of reach.

Dramatising the flashbacks gives the film a sense of jeopardy needed to make therapeutic services feel tangible and immediate

Results

The campaign - bolstered by a feature in Metro - raised £75,000 - Solace’s most successful Christmas appeal ever, with 733% ROI.

This allowed the charity to support an extra 240 survivors of domestic abuse, an increase of 340% on the previous festive campaign.

People shared on Twitter in droves, with messages including:

'Bloody hell this is powerful. I'm broke and I just gave £10. Couldn't help it - so needed. Especially at the moment.'

'I can't think of anything worse than being trapped in a flat with an abusive partner during a pandemic Christmas. I've just given. Please donate it you can

The Team

MBAstack - Bobbi Cooper, Account Director - Stefana Stoica, Account Manager - Caroline Deput, Planning Director - Lucas Peon, Executive Creative Director - Pauly Barton, Creative Director - Jordan Brown, Creative Director

Contributors

Kirsty Malcolm Production