Background

Despite its international respect and exposure, many Australians are unaware of Red Cross’s domestic activity. To build this domestic awareness, we wanted to involve Australians in something big demonstrating the power of humanity.

Client: Red Cross Australia
Creative Agency: Fuel
Media Agency: Initiative

Objective

• Use an integrated media strategy to go beyond the traditional TVC
• Employ a media mix that allows solid tracking
• Encourage people to make a statement online
• Increase awareness and engage Gen X & Y, without alienating baby boomers and retirees

Strategy

Combine traditional and new media to ensure reach across all age groups and include a response-driven device so the impact could easily be tracked.

Execution

Fuel created 15, 30 and 45 second TVCs to raise awareness, as well as developed the ‘Wall of Humanity’ for the Red Cross website. Participants were asked to ‘make a statement for humanity’ by uploading their picture to the ‘Wall of Humanity’. The interactive platform was designed to encourage participation and engage the public. To drive more Australians online, radio personalities Merrick and Rosso gave live reads supporting the campaign and promoting online participation.

The commercial featured a long line of people, all passing supplies from one to the other, to demonstrate that Australian Red Cross works hand in hand with the community and that people are at their best when they help each other.

On campus activity at universities was also used to drive awareness.

Results

Since launching, ‘The Power of Humanity’ campaign has driven 13893 unique visitors to the website and encouraged 1168 participants to upload their face to the ‘Wall of Humanity’. Opt-ins for eNews grew to 616 and registrations to 1653.

While the campaign didn’t officially launch until May 17, in March the organisers of Sound Relief approached Red Cross for content to be displayed during the bush fire/flood appeal concerts.

This meant the TVCs were broadcast to one of the largest TV audiences in Australia’s history: 1.2m viewers, with an average of 220,000 viewers in Melbourne and 121,000 in Sydney, at any given time during that day.