Charitable Campaign of the Year *NEW FOR 2020*

Shooting for the Moon: Securing New Government Funding for Dementia Research

by ENGINE MHP for Alzheimer’s Research UK

Dementia is the leading cause of death in the UK. There are currently no treatments which cure, prevent or even slow down the progression of the disease. Alzheimer’s Research UK wanted to secure a significant increase in UK Government funding towards finding life-changing treatments, calling for 1% of the total annual cost of dementia to be put towards research.

However, dementia was not a priority for a government paralysed by leadership battles and Brexit negotiations. A simple yet effective public affairs campaign, utilising resources on the ground and the charity’s President (former Prime Minister David Cameron) at the top, resulted in a commitment in the Conservative manifesto to deliver a ‘Dementia Moonshot’ of £1.6 billion for research over the next decade to find a cure.

Embracing Complexity: Towards New Approaches for Supporting People with Neurodevelopmental Conditions

by JPA Health for Autistica

People who think and see the world differently have the potential to bring huge value and diversity of thinking to society, but also face a complex and overlapping set of challenges. Many people often have more than one neurodevelopmental or mental health condition (NDC), yet we still live in a system set up to look at one at a time. This campaign set out to unite stakeholders and create a joined-up system of support to create an inclusive society where people with NDCs can reach their full potential. The campaign built on insights from 500 people living with NDCs and a clear call to action ‘to work together’. The team secured Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health, who himself has dyslexia, to launch the campaign in Parliament. Stakeholders from across parties, councils, the Royal Colleges and charities were in attendance. Inspired by this campaign led by Autistica, in less than a year the ‘Embracing Complexity Coalition’ has grown to over 50 charities, published two reports, initiated over £600,000 in research, engaged senior leaders of the NHS and government has announced a new neurodiversity unit that sits across health, justice and education, a key call to action of the campaign.

Stop MS Appeal

by MS Society

The Stop MS Appeal aims to raise £100 million over ten years to find treatments for everyone with MS. Fundraising began in 2015, securing almost half the target during a five-year ‘discreet’ phase. The Appeal launched publicly in October 2019 with a multichannel campaign aiming to generate income, acquire new supporters and enhance brand profile. Most people with progressive MS have no treatment options, so research to slow and prevent disability is desperately needed. Within three months, our emotive TV advert was seen over six million times across digital channels, TV and cinema. It featured people living with MS singing Fleetwood Mac’s Don’t Stop, and portrayed the reality of living with MS. The response on social channels was superb, with many thanking us for shouting loudly about MS, and affinity for the MS Society among those with a close connection to MS increased by 15%. We achieved an average 130k weekly reach on Facebook (up 62% YOY), and over 330 items of national and regional media coverage.

Over £1m was raised from activity attributable to the public campaign. Online donations were up 70% YOY, and 22% of donations were from new supporters or people making their first gift to research.

I Will Survive Brand Campaign Launch 2019

by Ovarian Cancer Action

Awareness of ovarian cancer and our charity is very low in the UK; 82% of women can’t name the four main symptoms of ovarian cancer. Only 46% of women diagnosed in the UK survive beyond five years. Research investment lags behind many other higher profile cancers – current survival rates are the same as breast cancer was in the 1970s. We set out to raise the profile of this disease amongst women in the UK and to highlight the injustice women with ovarian cancer face, creating a high impact integrated campaign focusing on the need to change survival odds for the next generation. The creative uses young girls showing their determination that ’they will survive’ to represent our vision that the next generation will survive. The call to action was the need to raise more funds for research – key messaging centred around ‘funding next generation research for next generation lives.’

This campaign was driven jointly by Ovarian Cancer Action and a terminally ill ovarian cancer patient, ex MD of a large London advertising agency. She helped create a virtual team of creative and production talent, who mostly worked pro bono to deliver something extraordinary for what is a small charity.

Follow My Lead

by Virgo Health for Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation

Imagine living with lung cancer. Now imagine being asked if you smoked. Do you deserve to die if you did? Every day lung cancer patients face remarks that hurt. Drawing on real-life patient experiences, we identified a universally relatable patient insight that people often feel nervous and uncomfortable when speaking to someone living with cancer. To help change people’s perception and behaviour towards lung cancer patients, we created a humorous social media-first campaign to address the awkwardness, and support family and friends when talking to loved ones with lung cancer. Collaborating with a stand-up comedian might not be the obvious choice, but with doubled social engagement rates, an earned collaboration with TFL and a Sky News Twitter debate, the decision paid off and created the Foundation’s ‘best campaign yet.’