Sight charity Orbis in DRTV debut

International sight-saving charity Orbis has become the latest WPN Chameleon client to be persuaded to try DRTV advertising, as it strives to find a new channel to complement its use of direct mailings.
The agency – which has a long history of embracing DRTV from many of the founders’ days at WWAV (now Rapp) – is launching Orbis’ debut campaign this week.
The spot flags up the fact that every minute a child is born with the risk of permanent blindness or a sight limiting condition yet with the right treatment 8 out of 10 can be cured.
Shot in Mongolia, the ad promotes the Orbis Fying Eye Hospital; a specially equipped plane which allows Orbis volunteer medics to get to remote and poor parts of the world in order to carry out sight-saving operations and train local eye care professionals.
It follows the journey of a girl called Enkhzul, who lives in a remote part of Mongolia. She has cataracts and she cannot see anything clearly. She receives a sight saving operation on the Orbis plane.
The ad will air on direct responsive channels, and features a text donation response mechanism. Media planning and buying has been done by MC&C Media, with fulfilment through Mango.
Orbis director of external relations Allan Thompson said: “Our volunteer pilots, eye surgeons, nurses and many others work tirelessly on Orbis programmes to transform the lives and prospects of blind and visually impaired people in some of the poorest parts of the world. Since 1982, Orbis have provided 23.3 million medical and optical treatments to people in 92 countries. We want to do more and therefore are looking to DRTV to expand our supporter base.”
WPN Chameleon fundraising director Gail Cookson added: “In today’s crowded TV market, it is really important to create cut-through and have something original to offer the viewer. The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, equipped to carry out operations and train local eye care practitioners, shows very tangibly how the donor’s money can transform the life of an individual.”