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By Rebecca Stewart, Trends Editor

January 7, 2016 | 2 min read

Back in December domestic violence charity Refuge adapted its approach to social, launching a rigidly targetted seasonal campaign to raise awareness of children affected by abuse in home.

Created by BBH and supported by Facebook, who gifted all media space, the #GiveThemRefuge drive debuted on Christmas Eve with a hard-hitting film calling for donations to help support Refuge's specialist services.

The creative was shot in the style of a home movie and was designed to appear alongside the many happy festive scenes which seem to pervade the social network during the festive period.

While fictional, the film was based on what Refuge called a "daily reality" for children living with domestic violence in the UK. It shows a little girl being recorded by her older sister as she unwraps gifts under the tree, before an unsettling argument unfolds between her mother and father.

The video was tightly targeted to the Facebook feeds of 2.1m parents of children under 12 who use Facebook in the UK.

Two weeks on from the launch, the organisation's strategy appears to have paid off, with traffic to its website increasing by over 1000 per cent during the campaign period. Web visits translated into an 89 per cent increase in charitable donations and the number of individuals contributing donations doubled.

Sandra Horley, chief executive of Refuge said: “Women and children experience domestic violence all year round – and for many 25 December was like any other day, filled with fear and uncertainty."

"We are delighted with the results of the #GiveThemRefuge campaign – thank you to everyone who shared the footage and donated to support Refuge’s vital services," she added.

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