Whitewater creates Practical Action insert campaigns

by Ben Bold, Brand Republic 12-Oct-05, 07:00

LONDON - Third-world development charity Practical Action is testing two styles of insert campaign this autumn, one focusing on disaster preparedness and the other featuring BBC science presenter Adam Hart-Davis.

The work has been created by charity DM specialist Whitewater as part of a 2.5m-strong insert test campaign, which is being run across a range of niche and lifestyle publications.

The "Prepared" campaign is especially timely given the devastation caused by the earthquake in Pakistan over the weekend in which tens of thousands of lives were lost.

The campaign highlights the work that Practical Action does in helping poor communities struck by natural disasters such as earthquakes, droughts and floods. It includes case studies and asks consumers to donate 20p a day to help save lives.

In contrast, the "Blueprint" insert campaign comprises a copy of a letter from Hart-Davis printed on the back of a blueprint for an innovative smoke-hood chimney used in Nepalese homes. The hood has been designed by the charity to reduce the number of deaths caused by insufficient ventilation.

In the letter, the presenter explains that the World Health Organisation estimates that 2m people die every year from smoke-related illnesses. He then asks readers for a £33 cash donation to provide smoke-hoods for families in Nepal.

"For many years now, inserts have been a key component of our supporter recruitment programme," Practical Action head of public fundraising Justine Williams said.

"We're always looking for new creative approaches like these that will enable us to better communicate the unique solutions we offer and successfully engage with new supporters."

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