COI DM BE THE DIFFERENCE by Publicis London

Category: Direct Response Broadcast: TV, Radio & Infomercials

Advertiser: CWDC/C.O.I

Product/Service: SOCIAL WORK WITH CHILDREN & FAMILIES

Agency: PUBLICIS

Date of First Appearance: Sep 11 2009 12:00AM

Entrant Company: PUBLICIS, London, UNITED KINGDOM

Entry URL: http://bethedifference.cwdcouncil.org.uk

Art Director: Jamie Marshall (Publicis London)

Copywriter: Gray Turner (Publicis London)

Executive Creative Director: Tom Ewart (Publicis London)

Executive Creative Director: Adam Kean (Publicis London)

Director: Charlie Crane (Knucklehead)

Producer: Matthew Brown (Knucklehead)

Agency Producer: Kim Knowlton (COI)

Media placement: TV Campaign - 3 Spots - England For Channel 4 & ITV; National Multinational - 11/09/2009

Describe the brief/objective of the direct campaign.

At the start of 2009, Social Workers were in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. ‘Baby P’ (the most notorious case of child neglect and violence in the UK for a decade) had created a backdrop of intense public hostility, with Social Workers being blamed.

Against this background, we sought to attract quality candidates to work in Social Work with Children and Families, to meet the longer-term aim of transforming Social Work standards. Our focus was on more mature prospects with some life experience to bring to the table.

In addition, we needed to challenge overwhelmingly negative public perceptions.

Explain why the creative execution was relevant to the product or service.

Social Work is a subtle, demanding but ultimately emotionally fulfilling career. So we built a campaign which was – likewise – subtle, demanding, and emotionally fulfilling.

We wanted quality candidates, who’d take the time to engage with and be inspired by the complexities of the role. So we employed longer-copy, telling intricate, involving stories.

We needed to stand out and get noticed, so people would re-evaluate Social Work. So we employed bold, stark art direction.

And we needed to change public perceptions. Ultimately, we wanted to showcase the truth about Social Work. So we based our ads on real stories and testimonials.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective with reference to the projected response rates and desired outcome.

Social Workers don’t have tools like flashing blue lights, or white coats and stethoscopes. Instead, they have an incredible blend of hard and soft skills, enabling them to turn everyday objects into their own tools.

We built true stories around these tools, demonstrating the unique impact a Social Worker has. And because these stories weren’t dumbed down or sugarcoated, we hoped to recruit informed candidates, up to this potentially challenging task.

Research suggested that by helping people to understand what Social Workers actually do (and addressing key concerns and barriers), we could persuade a large number to get in touch. The TV ad directed the audience to the website.

Describe the results in as much detail as possible with particular reference to the RESPONSE of the target audience including deliverability statistics, response rates, click throughs, sales cost per response, relationships built and overall return on investment.

After 27 weeks of the campaign (including 5 weeks with no ATL activity), we have shifted perceptions:

- Around 2/3 of our target audience now believe that Social Work with Children and Families is one of the most worthwhile jobs you can do.

And the Social Workers of the future have been coming through our doors in huge numbers:

- Over 54k recruits have registered for a social work degree course.
- 83% of these are in our most desirable target audience bracket.
- Around 450k further potential recruits have made the first step of seeking information.