Case sTuDy 24
The challenge
In a society where children are increasingly being demonized, the UK chil- dren’s charity Barnardo’s supports some of the UK’s most troubled children. The charity wanted to raise awareness of how it works to help and support children by delivering cut-through and deepening engagement with its core target market. The charity wanted to create a campaign that would stand out and grab attention in an increasingly competitive sector, showing it in a con- temporary light, while simultaneously bolstering ‘deservedness’.
Target audience
ABC1 adults and the media.
176 The Best Digital Marketing Campaigns in the World
Action
Barnardo’s decided to launch the campaign in two separate phases. For the first phase they created a viral film called ‘Hunting’, a short piece that was seeded online. The film took real comments about children left by readers on newspaper websites and put them into the mouths of suburbanite adults with shotguns as they stalked their prey: the children. The idea behind the film was to attack the notion that discrimination against children is somehow accepta- ble. By targeting the key media and opinion leaders the team fostered a growing debate around the topics raised by the film.
The second phase of the campaign was designed to build on the discussion generated by the first phase, and to cast Barnardo’s in the role of providing a solution to the problem of problematic children: that they could – and should – be helped rather than vilified. With this in mind, the team created a series of films (Jail / Break the Cycle / What We Hear) which start by confirming the stereotype of a troubled child, complete with aggressive and violent behav- iour. As the films develop, viewers are slowly shown the other side to the same child: the side characterized by painful vulnerability. The intention was to expose the tension between these two different sides in order to force viewers to stop thinking in absolutes and start seeing troubled teens as chil- dren in dire need of support.
The interactive format of the films intensifies engagement: with a click of their mouse the online audience can switch between the two sides – listen to what an aggressive girl is really saying, lend their support to a troubled young- offender, step in and break a young girl’s cycle of abuse. The interactive digital films ran as full-screen HD ads – a first for this medium, creating huge impact in the online environment.
The campaign aimed to raise a debate in wider society and show how, even after others have given up, Barnardo’s still believes in the most troubled children.
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Results
The online campaign had an interaction rate of 3.66 per cent across both the industry and charity sectors (well above industry average) with a very high replay rate. The engagement time was also higher than average across these two sectors.
Those who consumed the digital films had a stronger perception of the work Barnardo’s does. Those who watched the digital films were significantly more likely to donate with an increase of 45 per cent. The ‘Hunting’ film helped to stimulate a debate around the demonization of children in the media, and resulted in several pieces of high-profile press coverage.
The campaign gave Barnardo’s an opportunity to give the public true insight into our work. The creativity of the interactive ads, combined with the powerful images of the young people shown, enabled us to present the complex issues we face every day, in a compelling and engaging way.
Collette Collins, Assistant Director of Communications, Brand and New Media, Barnardo’s.
Lessons
Video is a highly compelling and engaging medium that continues its explo- sive growth online. It’s also a great way to provoke a response and encourage debate around a topic, which is how Barnardo’s used it so effectively in this campaign. While the Barnardo’s films were professionally produced, the bar- riers to entry for online video are incredibly low – and some of the most- viewed videos on video-sharing networks like YouTube and Vimeo are created with little more than a standard webcam or a relatively inexpensive digital video camera. It can be an incredibly effective, and cost-effective way to engage with a potentially massive audience, either as a stand-alone vehicle for your campaign, or more likely to augment an integrated campaign span- ning multiple media channels.
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Marketers, we all remember the days when the internet was criticized for being too unemotional and ‘flat’. Creatives didn’t like the restrictions and sometimes dismissed the medium on the basis that ‘banner ads don’t make you cry’. This campaign proves that digital has gone beyond other media – not only can it evoke emotion but its power to engage and stimulate more discus- sion and interaction is simply unmatched by any other medium we have ever encountered.
Also note the increased level of contributions – up by 45 per cent. When it comes to ‘giving’ it is useful to know that internet users are usually a more affluent audience with access to credit cards thereby reducing the barriers to return on investment (ROI).
One of the Barnardo’s ads running on the Guardian website – clicking on the ad switched to the full-screen HD experience.
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● http://creativity-online.com/work/barnardos-hunted/1 ●
● http://www.grazeourfield.com/barnardos/troubledyouth/
Links to campaign creative
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Client ● Barnardo’s
Geographical scope ● UK
Agencies ● N/A
Campaign contacts ● Assistant Director of Communications (Brand and New Media): Collette Collins
Awards ● Creative Circle: Gold ● Andy Awards: Gold
● British Television Awards: Silver ● D&AD: Digital
● Cannes Lion: Gold (Digital)