Shelter, the charity for the homeless, is to air its first direct
response television commercial in four years.
The DRTV ad has been created by WWAV Rapp Collins to focus on the
hazardous conditions found in shared housing, flats and bedsits.
The 90-second commercial, called "Marie's story", is based on a true
story of an 18-month-old and her mother who fled their home because of
domestic violence. It shows them in a bedsit with a faulty cooker that
catches fire and fills the bedsit with fumes that kill Marie.
Viewers are asked to call an 0800 number to pledge £2 a month to
help those who are left homeless. The ad airs on 5 November on MTV, UK
Style, UK Horizons, UK Gold and VH1.
It was directed by Andrea Kapos at Likemind, art directed by Peter Blake
and written by Simon Fraser. Media is by WWAV Rapp Collins Media.
Chris Holmes, the director of Shelter, said: "With regular donations, we
can continue campaigning for the introduction of licensing schemes."