Sputnik launches ‘Vinnies’ Winter Appeal 2012
Sputnik Agency has launched the St Vincent de Paul Society Winter Appeal, 2012 which addresses the issue of poverty in Australia.
The creative depicts children involved in a seemingly innocent game of make-believe.
It’s not until the end of the commercial that the reality of the situation is made clear.
Says Carol Taylor, general manager of marketing and public relations, St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria: “If you haven’t been faced with the debilitating effects of poverty, it can be easy to see the problem as simplistic and somehow the fault of the people involved. Our campaign is designed to show that it’s not that easy – that most families will try anything to avoid poverty. Unfortunately the problems are often too complex for them to solve on their own.
“We want to give people a better understanding of the all-encompassing nature of poverty and the hard work Vinnies puts into helping Australians get their life back on track.”
The campaign tagline features the challenge ‘There is no magic solution to poverty. It takes compassion, commitment and money’. This highlights that, without the appropriate resources, poverty is often inescapable.
While the campaign has a stark message, the story and style used to communicate the message go against the conventional sombre approach of advertising that is typical in this category.
Says Ed Carveth, Sputnik’s executive creative director: “We wanted to use the naivety of the young girl’s point of view to remind people that there’s no easy magical fix for poverty. To help you have to do more than just empathise with the situation and actually get up and donate money. This was combined with an innocent, clean and nostalgic style to balance the call to action and give the campaign a strong platform from which to work from.”
As well as a TVC directed by EXIT Films, the campaign for the St Vincent de Paul Society Winter Appeal 2012 features press, online display advertising, DM and radio with an aim to raise $5.5 million in donations to help a growing number of Australian families survive both financially and emotionally this winter.
Credits
Client: The St Vincent de Paul Society
Fundraising and Marketing Manager: Gill Victor
Agency: Sputnik Agency
Executive Creative Director: Ed Carveth
Writer: Anna Rogers
Art Director: Jodie Roach
Head of Strategy: Rodd Messent
Group Account Director: Peter Jefferson
Account Manager: Ashley Easteal
Production: EXIT Films
Producer: Naomi Nienaber
2 Comments
I really enjoyed the latest Vinnies campaign. It was strong and powerful – the ending of the TVC was emotional and I think the message speaks very clearly in this campaign.
Good job guys!
Cheers
Tish Tambakau
Worthy as the cause is, and separate from what is a decent ad, let me say I find the whole exercise of changing the name to Vinnies on their stores a few years ago to be a big mistake.
Yes, Vinnies was what people called it. But the real name, the proper name, St Vincents de Paul, grounded the charity. It held its heritage together and gave it seriousness.
“Vinnies” on the other hand sounds too much like what it is – a marketing exercise, a display of too-clever-by-half-ad-people fiddling with the brand.
We say Thank God for the Salvos, but they are still The Salvation Army, so the brand retains its identity while the colloquial term is utilised to the benefit of that identity. Changing the name of the brand to The Salvos would have undermined the whole thing.
Which is what I think ‘Vinnies” has done to St. Vincents.