'You add, we multiply' Christian Aid says in integrated drive

by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 12-May-05, 07:00

LONDON - Christian Aid has for the first time integrated direct activity with an above-the-line campaign, as it solicits donations in its annual Christian Aid Week fundraising drive from May 15-21.

Christian Aid Week aims to get people to make one-off donations and the charity is hoping to beat the £14.7m total it raised last year.

The two elements of the campaign aim to get across the key message that Christian Aid's help focuses on long-term solutions to poverty rather than short-term handouts. The campaign's strapline is "You add, we multiply" and it features illustration and a quirky tone of voice.

Jeff Dale, head of marketing at Christian Aid, said: "We wanted to move away from the traditional images which, while often shocking, have become generic and lost impact. The communication may be funny, but the message is a serious one about the best way to combat global poverty."

Above-the-line agency Campbell Doyle Dye has created two TV spots, three press ads, radio spots, and a dedicated Christian Aid Week website supported by banner ads.

The charity's direct agency Whitewater has extended the creative into mailings to warm and cold lists, press inserts including tipped-on donor envelopes, and a trial run of door-drops.

The TV ads, the creative for which is carried forward throughout the campaign, show scientists in a lab researching the difference between omlettes and chickens. Tests show what happens over a period of weeks to the two.

While the chickens multiply the omlette simply goes mouldy highlighing the difference between long-term and short-term aid. The chickens, provide eggs as food and income, but also reproduce to create more chickens -- all of which help people to be self-sufficient and reduce their reliance on aid.

The idea is extended with alternatives, such as coconut plants versus coconuts in the press ads, and on the website, an interactive Big Cow Farm that illustrates the benefits that one cow can bring a family.

After Christian Aid Week is over mailings and door-drops will go out to 500,000 addresses, requesting regular rather than one-off giving.

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