The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

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By Jennifer Faull, Deputy Editor

September 15, 2015 | 3 min read

NSPCC’s first campaign under its new strapline is looking to elicit hope and inspiration, not shock, in viewers. The shift in tack is helping the charity to partner with brands such as O2, according to marketing director Tessa Herbert.

The charity revealed last year that it would scrap its former strapline ‘Full Stop’ in favour of ‘Every childhood is worth fighting for’ in an effort to drive a deeper understanding of the work it does and make the NSPCC more relevant to more families.

Speaking to The Drum, NSPCC’s head of marketing Tessa Herbert claimed that the move to more positive branding has opened up partnership opportunities, like that which was recently fostered with O2. The charity and mobile operator came together in what was described as a groundbreaking partnership to help parents and children to ‘acknowledge and face’ internet risks.

“We’ve also moved up one place in this year’s Charity Brand Index, we’ve gone from 10th to ninth place,” she said.

Its new above-the-line (ATL) ad is the most tangible sign yet of this shift to a positive message.

Under ‘Full Stop’, NSPCC’s ads sought to shock viewers into action by showing or describing graphic examples of child cruelty. However, the new strapline has been coupled with a refreshed approach to its marketing and it now wants to focus on making people feel inspired and hopeful about ending child cruelty.

The Leo Burnett-created ad, 'Alfie the Astronaut', takes place in the imagination of a young boy who dreams of being an astronaut. He recounts in a voiceover how he and his mother experienced domestic violence and physical abuse, and the help they received of the NSPCC. At the end of the film Alfie is shown in his real-world bedroom, safe and looking forward to the future with the endline: ‘Your donation can take a child anywhere’.

Herbert said shocking people wouldn’t inspire, or make them feel hopeful about the NSPCC’s work: “We want to make sure people understand the difference their support can make […] Weaved in there is the crucial message that abuse gets in the way of those dreams, and that the work the NSPCC is doing really works to prevent that from happening.”

Supporting the TV advert will be a digital campaign targeting mums across key sites, including the MailOnline, as well as social media activity across Facebook, Twitter and paid search which comes as part of an increased investment in digital marketing across the board as its performance improves year on year.

“As an organisation we recognise the importance of digital marketing and also invest heavily in our owned platforms to make sure they are world-class,” she said.

NSPCC O2

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