VSO
Campaign message: "Remember this ad" and "87 minutes"
Aim: To target London commuters who could use their professional skills in voluntary posts abroad. To reach people in health, education and managerial roles/ professions. To engage commuters who were "fed up with the daily grind".
How many people involved: 7
Launched: February 2005
Poster campaign: Working with an outside advertising agency, VSO have run a series of poster campaigns over the last 2 years on the London Underground. The first advert launched in February 2005, after the Tsunami in Asia. The posters asked, "Who'll be there when the cameras have gone?"
The second campaign poster was launched in June 2005, asking "Will you remember today forever?"
The third campaign began in January 2007 with the message, "Some people will remember an ad of ours forever" VSO placed 6000 posters on London tube trains and South West, South East and WAGN commuter train lines.
Advert campaign: VSO purchased advertising space in The Guardian and local/regional press. The advert, "All we ask for is 87 minutes" invited potential volunteers to come to a local event and give up just 87 minutes of their time to find out about VSO opportunities. The ads were created by VSO's in-house team and over 12 months were placed in target publications to coincide with their "Meet VSO" events.
PR work: To back up the "87 minutes" adverts, VSO placed stories in key publications. Liz Penn describes their media work, "Case studies are used for media stories... In local press it will be a local volunteer. But in national press it will depend on what is newsworthy. For example, it could be a doctor if health is big news".
VSO's Director of Programmes sent a letter to the editors of a range of local newspapers during Volunteers Week (June 2007). The letter was used to reach a broad audience of potential volunteers, alerting readers to how they could share their valuable skills with the help of VSO. The letter was published in 38 local papers.
Outside agencies involved: Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw for poster campaign.
Results: VSO reported a 35% increase in volunteer applications since the poster campaign of June 2005. Final figures have not been tallied in response to the January 2007 poster campaign.
1,551 potential volunteers attended "Meet VSO" events between April 2006 and March 2007. 35% of them had seen the "87 minutes" advert in The Guardian; 31% of them had seen the ad in their local paper.
Contact: Liz Penn www.vso.org.uk
