Ogilvy and Mather has launched a claimed first in interactive posters by
attaching removable Post-It notes to Superlite sites as part of its new
work for the Samaritans.
Passers-by are at liberty to take the notes, which give the support
charity’s new national telephone number.
The campaign is led by a three-week national press burst plus one week
of 30-second and ten-second ads on Channel 4 and satellite TV, all
emphasising the new 0345 90 90 90 number.
Until now, distressed callers had to look up the number of their local
Samaritans’ branch in the telephone directory. However, a new BT system
means that calls are routed to the nearest available line so that
callers will not find a number engaged.
Donated by More O’Ferrall Adshel, the 20 poster sites will be the focus
of a PR campaign around the country.
The posters carry the line: ‘This is the Samaritans new phone number.
Please take note,’ while the pull-off stickers carry the line: ‘Whatever
you’re going through, we’ll go through it with you,’ which was coined by
O&M in its first work for the charity in March. O&M won the business
from Saatchi and Saatchi last year.
The 30-second films are cut-downs of the March launch campaign, with the
addition of the new phone number. They feature the same person - a
Samaritan - in different threatening situations. In one he is being told
of financial problems by a bank manager and in another he hears
skinheads shouting ‘Pakis out’.
The spend on the campaign is being billed as probably the largest for a
single initiative by the Samaritans and is estimated at pounds 150,000.
Paul Farmer, the Samaritans communications manager, emphasised the value
of the new campaign. ‘We have wanted a single and easy-to-remember
number for some time. This is the emotional support equivalent of 999.’
The campaign was written by Tony Strong and art directed by Carl le
Blond and Mitch Levy.
Last year the Samaritans recieved 3.75 million calls for help - one
million more than ten years ago.
