Winners & Shortlists

2014 Promo & Activation

STREET STORIES

Short List
TitleSTREET STORIES
BrandDEPAUL UK
Product/ServiceHOMELESSNESS CHARITY
Category A01. USE OF PROMOTIONAL STUNTS/ LIVE ADVERTISING/ LIVE SHOWS / CONCERTS & FESTIVALS
Entrant Company PUBLICIS LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
Advertising Agency PUBLICIS LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
Credits
Name Company Position
Andy Bird Publicis London Executive Creative Director
Pavlos Themistocleous Publicis London Digital Ecd
Steve Moss Publicis London Copywriter
Jolyon Finch Publicis London Art Director
Chris Boyton Publicis London Account Director
Anthony Harris Publicis London Strategist
Sarah Clifford Publicis London Agency Producer
Mark Wesley Publicis London Photographer
Colin Hickson Publicis London Agency Executive Producer
Sam Holmes Publicis London Agency Producer
Doug Gillen N/A Director/Editor
Ben Slow N/A Artist
Best Ever N/A Artist
Josh Jeavons N/A Artist
David Shillinglaw N/A Artist
Mike Fitzgerald Publicis London Senior Digital Project Manager
David Clarke Publicis London Head Of Technology
Richard Nelson Publicis London Lead Interactive Developer
Richie Wykes Publicis London Head Of Design

The Brief

Studies show a surprising number of people think the homeless are on the street because they’re lazy, preferring a life of drink and drugs over work and paying taxes. Charity Depaul UK wanted to find a way of challenging these beliefs to help raise money. Founded by the Catholic Church Depaul has struggled to reach an audience beyond the network of church congregations with whom they are affiliated. With church attendances shrinking and an ageing demographic, Depaul also wanted the campaign to access a younger, socially aware audience. But they didn’t have the money for a big budget ad’ campaign.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

Research by social psychologists shows that prejudice against the homeless can be effectively challenged by learning more about them. We decided to tell the stories of how homeless kids ended up on the street, as a way of tackling preconceptions. Bearing in mind our objective of accessing a younger audience, we worked with some of the UK’s best up and coming street artists, using the streets where the homeless slept as a canvas on which to tell their stories. And instead of traditional donations we asked the public to buy one of 150 limited edition screenprints inspired by the stories.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

A 100% sell through of our screenprints. £12,000 raised which paid for 800 nights in emergency accommodation for vulnerable homeless kids. The campaign cost just £2,784 to produce. This represents a 331% ROI. The campaign was picked up by online and mainstream media including the BBC News. 54 million media impressions. £2.64 million earned media. Engaged a new audience for Depaul UK: young urban professionals. 17% decrease in negative perception of homelessness.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

Depaul UK wanted to challenge prejudice against the homeless. By telling the stories of how they ended up on the street we directly confronted the public’s preconceptions, inviting them to connect with the homeless on a personal level. And by using street art as the medium to tell these stories we helped to draw in a younger audience for Depaul. Making the art available to view and purchase online, allowed us to access a global audience, thereby raising money and awareness on a very tight budget.