3 Creative Agencies Doing Good With Nonprofit Marketing

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For nonprofits, winning attention for their cause can be an uphill battle.

Often working with limited resources, it’s a challenge for nonprofits to break through the clutter and tell their story. It’s not easy to compete for attention against advertising for new and improved toothbrushes and 0% financing on 2014 models.

Having an experienced creative agency by a nonprofit’s side can make a measurable difference. Check out the three examples below that illustrate how stories crafted by a creative agency can trigger an emotional reaction, spread information and inspire action. From animal rights to children’s healthcare, these nonprofits got a great return on their marketing investment.

Breensmith for Friends of Animals

Friends of Animals, a nonprofit international animal advocacy organization, has championed low-cost neuter and spay of cats and dogs since its founding in 1957. By limiting the breeding abilities of domestic pets, fewer puppies and kittens grow up to be homeless, abandoned, or in a shelter.

Atlanta creative agency Breensmith took a unique approach to raise pet owners’ awareness of the importance of spaying and neutering: they humanized pets.

Creative Director Chris Breen explains, “In our new creative, we show cats and dogs in a variety of ‘homeless human’ situations…It’s a humorous take on a serious issue that’s meant to tap into human empathy in an attention-grabbing way by putting dogs and cats in familiar ‘on the street’ scenarios.”

Take a look. And remember to spay Fluffy and neuter Spot. 

FOA billboards

FOA billboards

Eraser Farm for S.A.F.E.

Eraser Farm, a Tampa based integrated advertising agency, is helping to spread the wildlife conservation message. The creative agency produced captivating print ads for the Save Africa’s Elephants [S.A.F.E.] campaign, an initiative of The Bodhi Tree Foundation.

The campaign’s aim is to “galvanize and unite travel businesses, organizations, and travelers to raise awareness about the current plight of Africa’s elephants and the impact poaching and the ivory trade has on the future of tourism in Africa.”

To achieve that goal, Eraser Farm used creative to show the impact of poaching on Africa’s elephant population. An acetate overlay parallels the message behind the campaign: at the current rate of poaching and without action, elephants will disappear from Africa in 11 years. And an empty savanna does little to attract tourists, a key source of local revenue.

Eraser Farm's marketing work for non-profit SAFE

Hanson Dodge Creative for Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin is an independent health care system exclusively devoted to children, providing services ranging from research to care. Hanson Dodge, a Milwaukee branding agency, was tasked with helping the organization develop a more emotional and engaging brand platform after a false start with another agency.

Focusing on the connection between parents and their children, the “Kids deserve the best” campaign was not only effective, it was award winning. The agency took home a Bronze Award in the Total Advertising with TV category from the Healthcare Advertising Awards.

Click the image to watch the two spots:

Click to watch Hanson Dodge's work for CHW

And hear what Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin had to say about working with Hanson Dodge:

Behind HDC's work for Children's Hospital of WI

 

Creative for a Cause

New product launches and PR campaigns for big brands are exciting work for creative agencies. But engagements where the goal is to raise awareness for a cause, instead of a product or service, offer agencies an opportunity to make a positive impact. Nonprofits often find their marketing overshadowed by commercial endeavors; partnering with an agency with nonprofit marketing expertise can make a difference. A difference that can make the world a better place.

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Claire Wallace
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