2014 Silver Best Use of Experiential

Client Crimestoppers UK

How did the campaign make a difference? Crimestoppers, the Uk's biggest crime fighting charity, had one main focus for 2013: to tackle the problem of personal theft.

Stealth theft, where no force is used and the victim is unaware of the incident, makes up around 70-80% of personal theft incidents – over 1,700 of us have something taken from our bags or pockets everyday.

There are also strong links between the rise in pickpocketing and increased ownership of smartphones, with these being the most stolen item nationally.

The campaign received 93 visits to the Putpockets site for every 100 leaflets distributed, generated huge free PR and was immediately implemented by three police forces around the UK.

Strategy Usually, warning posters are put in areas pickpockets operate. But posters can make matters worse: people ignore the warning, thinking it will never happen to them – and often instinctively tap the place their valuables are, sending a clear message to any pickpockets lurking nearby.

Crimestoppers' strategy instead sought to bring about long-term behavioural change in a way that Crimestoppers could easily roll out across Britain's police forces – without putting the audience at risk.

Putpockets was a simple leafleting campaign with a remarkable twist: instead of handing out leaflets, they were put directly into people's pockets and bags. The leaflets were designed to look like valuable, commonly stolen items and carried the message that if someone can get an iPhone into your bag, they can get one out. It gave the recipient the feeling of being pickpocketed without them actually becoming a victim.

Creativity Leaflets designed to look like smartphones, tablets and wallets were distributed in UK city centres where the rate of personal theft was high. Rather than using ordinary people to hand them out, ex-pickpockets and sleight of hand experts were used to put leaflets directly into people's pockets and open bags.

Once found, the message on the leaflets read: 'If someone can get an iPhone into your bag, they can get one out'. People were directed to a blog where they could see video content of the different methods used to get the leaflets into their bags and pockets.

The activity was filmed covertly from rooftops and cameras hidden in shopping bags and the leafleters' buttonholes, with the film released to the press and other crime prevention groups to raise further awareness – as well as drive further take-up of the initiative by other UK police forces.

Results The campaign aimed to generate publicity and awareness of how pickpockets operate – and to drive uptake of this low-risk, low-cost anti-pickpocketing measure amongst UK Police Forces.

For every 100 leaflets dropped into pockets and bags, Crimestoppers received 93 visits to the campaign microsite – with an average dwell time of 3.32 minutes.

The low cost pilot generated £7.5 million of free PR and achieved its aim of starting a UK roll out – within 24 hours of the Putpockets initiative featuring on news channels across the country, Crimestoppers had been contacted by three other UK police forces keen to run it.

The overwhelming publicity also attracted a lot of support and interest from other crime prevention groups and brought the very real prospect of pickpocketing into sharp focus for the public, giving people the awareness to protect themselves.