Sense, a national charity that supports and campaigns for children and adults who are deafblind, used text-only messaging for the first time in its Christmas television ad push, created by Watson Phillips Norman.
The activity asked people to text the word TOY to give a gift of £3 that could help buy a sensory toy for a deafblind child.
Creative builds on the success of Sense’s TV campaign last Christmas, which was taglined: Will you light up Christmas for a deafblind child, and which focused on a little boy’s delight with specialist sensory toys such as hand-held fans and bubble tubes. This year’s campaign employs existing footage, and levers the text response mechanism with a tangible, low-cost ask.
"We feel the mechanism and the amount we’re asking for – £3 – will really resonate with potential donors at this time of year," said Andrea Jones, head of direct marketing at Sense. "Christmas is for children, and while we live in a world of consumerism, we know money is tight. People are looking to spend small amounts of money on gifts that really count, and this ties in with that."
Gail Cookson, Strategy Partner at Watson Phillips Norman, said: "By re-using existing footage from last year, we’ve ensured the creative is as cost-effective as it is powerful. And the text mechanism is such an immediate way to drive response for a hugely worthy cause, at a vital time in the fundraising calendar."
