A personal message from Jennifer - Fundraising
Parkinson’s Victoria
Issue 25 | December 2012
Agency
DDB Group/Rapp Melbourne
Creative Team
Executive Creative Director: Grant Rutherford Creative Directors: Glen Dickson, Ruben Cirugeda Digital Creative Director: Steven Skrekovski
Production Team
Head of Broadcast, DDB Group: Simon Thomas Production Company: Fiction (Director: Jake Robb; Producer: Jackie Fish) Grade: Iloura Online Editor: Marissa Brain, Sight & Sound/DDB Group Music Track: Indian Summer by Jonsi & Alex c/o Universal Music Publishing Group Pty Ltd, Kobalt Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd, EMI Music Australia
Other Credits
Client: Judith Mooney, Marketing and Fundraising Coordinator Client Service: Tess Doughty, Richie Taaffe
Date
June 2012
Background
Parkinson’s Victoria (PV) funds research into Parkinson’s disease, providing support to the 80,000 Australians who suffer from it. However, the charity receives limited government support and relies heavily on private donations.
Like all charities, PV’s challenge is to turn an irregular trickle of donations into a steady flow.
Rather than attempt a mass-market communication and compete with all the other charities out there, this campaign targeted just 50 of Australia’s most influential business leaders to encourage them to consider donating to PV on an ongoing basis. To touch them, the message had to be as personal as possible.
Idea
Each of the businesses targeted received a package containing a simple piece of paper folded around a DVD. When played, each recipient watched Jennifer struggling on a journey – a journey made just for them as she walked up to their office to deliver a package: the making of the film they’d just received.
Jennifer’s plea made its case simply by showing how hard it was for her to go out and ask for help. The medium was the message.
Results
The campaign launched in summer 2012 and early results have been promising. The full, cumulative results will build over the long term. So far, the campaign has received generous cash donations and opened the door for ongoing discussions with a number of potential corporate donors.
Our Thoughts
Watching Jennifer’s journey is painful. It’s meant to be. The faltering steps, the slow and unsteady hand as she writes.
What would make it particularly heart-stopping would be when you realise that the journey she is making in the film you are watching is to your offices. To your door.
I keep making the point that personalisation in Mail is nothing to do with lasering the recipient’s name wherever you can but making the experience as relevant to the recipient as you can.
Compared with Jennifer’s difficulties, writing a cheque for $5,000 can’t be so hard. And, indeed, it seems several business leaders have done that already.