'Give A Few Bob'

Background

Men in the UK don't talk about health issues. Nor do they appreciate how common prostate cancer is and that it's killing one man every hour in the UK. The challenge was to create a campaign to put both the disease and the PCRF, which funds independent research into its causes and treatments, firmly on the national agenda. In particular, the aim was to get through to those most likely to be affected by the disease - men aged 45+.

Idea

Research revealed that the more emotional the charity appeal, the more unemotional men become. The agency knew that one way to add real weight to the campaign was to use a celebrity, but a current sufferer of the disease might not feel comfortable about talking about his illness. The challenge was how to use a celebrity - making the most of the awareness that could thus be generated - in a way that had never been done before. Their solution was to bring Bob Monkhouse back from the dead to front a campaign for the disease that killed him.

Traditionally, humour and cancer don't sit comfortably together. However, the strength of the idea lay in the agency's ability to recreate the spirit of the comedian in delivering his heartfelt message. The key to the campaign was its authenticity: a celebrity behaving as he always had but delivering a serious message - 'give a few bob'. Bob's wisecracking was reflected in all of the copy. This tone helped to touch people on a personal level through various channels. The campaign centred around a 40" film made using archive footage, supported by mail, email, press and retail initiatives. Bob's black and white image was the focus here, with the call to action highlighted in red.

Results

The campaign achieved a 228% increase in the donor base with a 580% rise in the number of regular monthly donors and a 2000% increase in traffic to the charity's website. Overall, £3m worth of media value was generated on a budget of £50,000.

Target Audience

Mailings were targeted at men in the UK aged 45+ with a higher propensity to donate. The campaign as a whole had a wider audience - not just men, but anyone who cares about men - wives, daughters, grandmothers etc.

Size

5,000 mailings; 720 WHSmith stores nationwide; 500 taxi sides; 7,200 poster sites. Vue cinemas aired the film over three weeks, displayed POS material in foyers and included the campaign in an email to 280,000 of their customers.

Our Thoughts

There has been a lot of talk lately about ageism in adland. This campaign is intelligent and impactful and is the work of a creative person well into his fifties – Alan Curson, who has been winning awards for over thirty years now. Way to go, Alan!!!