During the holidays how do you decide which charity to give to?
The challenge was to make Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign Canadians’ charity of choice during the holidays; a time when so many other charities are competing for share of voice and share of wallet.
We uncovered the insight that nostalgic appeals increase charitable behavior 1 and built a strategy to bring Salvation Army’s long history in Canada to the forefront, lending a little nostalgia to the organization’s fundraising efforts. The strategy was to partner with CBC’s historical drama, Murdoch Mysteries, and weave Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign into the narrative of the two-hour Holiday Special, reminding Canadians that this campaign has been a part of our history since the turn of the century.
The integration involved four plot connections focusing on the responsibility of the Salvation Army to provide food and shelter for underprivileged Canadians, the long history of the Red Kettle, and the vital role of volunteers to the campaign.
To support the integration, brand sell spots ran in and around the two-hour Holiday Special. Custom lower-thirds encouraged donations on SalvationArmy.ca and a digital sponsorship of the Murdoch website with social posts rounded out the campaign.
More than 1.4 million Canadians watched the Murdoch Holiday Special, and the online version saw a 39% increase of video views over last year.
The play on nostalgia was a success! The Christmas Kettle Campaign raised over $23.5 million dollars nationally, exceeding its fundraising target. December online donations increased by 12% overall as a result of more than 2,500 additional online donations from the previous year. From December 12 - 14, when the Murdoch Mysteries Special aired, there was a 6.87% increase in page views from the previous year.