DEPAUL UK: STREET STORIES, 10

Credits & Description:

CLIENT DEPAUL UK
PRODUCT HOMELESSNESS CHARITY
ENTRANT PUBLICIS LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
TYPE OF ENTRY COMMUNICATION & BRAND IDENTITY
CATEGORY POSTERS
TITLE STREET STORIES
PRODUCT/SERVICE HOMELESSNESS CHARITY
ENTRANT COMPANY PUBLICIS LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
ADVERTISING AGENCY PUBLICIS LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
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
Brief Explanation
Research by social psychologists shows that prejudice against the homeless can be effectively challenged by learning more about them. We wanted to find a way of getting the public to hear the real stories of how the homeless kids ended up on the street, to change preconceptions. But Depaul didn’t have money for a big budget ad’ campaign. And furthermore, because they work with some of the youngest and most vulnerable homeless kids, we couldn’t use photographic or moving images of the kids themselves.
The Brief
Studies show that 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 in the hope that people would be more willing to help if they knew the truth.
How the final design was conceived
We decided to use the streets where the kids slept as the canvas for their stories, to give them an additional poignancy. Commissioning street artists to create the illustrations not only felt like a visually engaging way of bringing the stories to life, but it also circumvented the problem of not being able to show photographic or filmed footage of the kids. And asking the public to buy a limited edition screenprint inspired by the stories felt like a great alternative to straight up donations; effectively images of the homeless which started on the street were given a new home.
Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market
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.