Salvation Army unveils major DRTV Christmas appeal

The Salvation Army is launching its 2018 Christmas appeal with the widest range of DRTV ads ever – supported by a major door-drop campaign – as the charity gears up to help the homeless over the crucial festive period.
Widely recognised as one of the largest annual campaigns in the UK fundraising sector, generating around £16m for the charity, this year’s activity is led by a new ad, ‘In from the Cold’ by WPN Chameleon.
The ad tells the story of one homeless man The Salvation Army helped from the life-threatening edge of society to get back on his feet through loving care and attention at one its Lifehouses.
Using footage shot in London and the charity’s own footage from the last cold snap, the DRTV campaign encourages the UK public to give a donation of £19. As the temperature drops, the theme should strike a chord with the viewing audience.
The on and offline campaign includes the biggest door-drop campaign in the charity’s history, also with a creative piece based on the same homelessness message used in DRTV.
The Salvation Army head of individual giving Alex Wood said: “There’s been a huge spike in the number of people forced to sleep rough. In London alone, this has increased 17% to over 3,000 people between July and September 2018 versus the same period last year, according to the Combined Homelessness and Information Network.
“Shockingly, we know that one homeless person dies every day in the UK. Our Christmas campaign this year, encourages supporters to help us break this cycle by showing what the charity is doing to help those on the edge of society.”
WPN Chameleon managing director John Eversley added: “We are proud to have worked with The Salvation Army for the past 10 years and over that time we’ve come to understand what makes the brand unique. Our team spend time visiting the charity’s centres, talking to staff, volunteers and those receiving support to gather real insights. This level of detail and passion for authentic storytelling shows in the final edits and print pieces”.
“It goes without saying that Christmas is the most competitive time for getting the attention of supporters. ‘In from the Cold’ is a gritty and authentic campaign that is unmistakably The Salvation Army and presents a compelling need that we hope will inspire a powerful response from the great British public.”