2013 Gold Best Media Strategy

Client UNICEF

How did the campaign make a difference? This campaign broke all the 'rules' of fundraising TV. But boy did it work! The 30-day test generated 84,609 donations from 77,000 people. 7,000 became regular supporters, recruited at an ROI some 300% better than the sector norm.

What details of the strategy make this a winning entry? The strategy started with the TV commercial. It was shot in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan on the Syrian border, and drew on decades of learning about video appeals. Insight started with the call to action. Consumers want to give cash, an immediate solution. This was done via a premium SMS donation, avoiding phone and web as response mechanisms, with four key results. First, it made responding easy. Second, it united the response and gift. Third, it delivered a key piece of consumer data - phone numbers. Finally, it created multiple contact choices: the prospective donor could be texted or called. Within 24 hours of making their initial gift, they were called to try to explain that UNICEF is one of the few organisations permanently in Syria. The conversation led from short-term fixes through to education for a lost generation of children. That ongoing need is the link to asking for a regular gift.

How did creativity bring the strategy to life? The creativity was in breaking the rules of fundraising. Media rule one: low-interest TV programmes maximise response. But this test schedule comprised high-attention news and documentaries, amplifying the appeal to reach a younger, more affluent donor. Media rule two: plan your schedule carefully to enable response handling. But most airtime was bought within 24 hours of airtime, enabling the team to know if Syria would be featured or at least make an informed judgement. The impact of editorial/advertising interaction lifted response up to sevenfold at times. Media rule three: plan your audience to match your ask. This campaign had to ask for cash. But UNICEF needs regular givers, so it engaged with a cash ask, then created a journey to take them to becoming regular givers. Media rule four: at the final conversion to regular giving, focus on one ask. UNICEF's ideal donor gives a monthly direct debit, but two in three of this audience would not. So a range of mechanisms, including credit cards and monthly SMS gifts, was offered.

Results The closest benchmark for a phone/web ask shows this response rate was 16 times higher as a direct result of using PSMS. More than a sixth of donors went on to give again. The campaign recruited nearly 7,000 ongoing regular donors in just 30 days with a year-one ROI some three times higher than market norms.