Shree Rajani, head of communications, Versus Arthritis Visit the CharityComms website to view slides from past events, see what events we have coming up and to check out what else we do: www.charitycomms.org.uk

1. Hello!

2. We’ll cover today…
• The problem we were tackling
• Unexpected road blocks
• How we got around them
• Top tips to take away
Bringing
your brand
to life:
helping
people to
tell their
stories
honestly

4. Two mins…
What is arthritis?
How do you think
it’s perceived in
society?

5. What is arthritis?
• Dictionary definition: a disease causing painful inflammation and
stiffness of the joints.
• Reality: 200 conditions causing pain, fatigue and isolation

7. What does this mean?
• 91% believe it’s a problem and seriously impacts people
• 68% think it’s a problem that affects us all
• 28% believe it should receive the same level of support/funding as
other health conditions such as cancer, heart disease and
diabetes

8. And so what does this mean
for people with arthritis?
• They hide their reality – dismiss their own condition because the
people around them do as well. Put on their ‘Glad face’
• Stop seeking support
• Struggle in silence
• Feel like they are not understood

9. SO what are we doing?

10. Putting it in to action
• Latest campaign was all about challenging and changing
perceptions.
• The ads show the reality of living with the condition

11. The campaign…
• Three ads, billboard advertising, social ads…
• For O&E media, needed to tell stories of real people
• So to achieve this we just needed people to talk about their condition
honestly. Easy right?

12. WRONG!!!

13. What we didn’t anticipate…
• We knew what we needed to do was to change societal
perceptions. But it wasn’t just them we needed to influence.
• We needed to get people with arthritis to believe it was okay to talk
honestly. That they wouldn’t be dismissed. That they would be
listened to. That people would understand.

14. What we found
• People would articulate to us the pain they were in
• But they played down the impact of it
• They played down what they needed from society
• Because they didn’t feel like they were worthy of demanding more

15. PANIC!

16. • It really shouldn’t have come as a surprise to
us – this problem, was exactly what we were
trying to change
• Our decisions were based in insight – and
they were right. This only strengthened that
• Reassessed, reassured and reset
1. Took a
step back

17. • Really long briefs!
• Spent more time on briefs – both written and
verbal
• Had to take people on the journey of what we
wanted to achieve – speedily
• Every film took longer – set up time, extra
questions
2. Briefs.
But not
brief
briefs.

18. • Our plan was always to show the impact of
arthritis on people with the condition, and
those around them
• Apparent that we didn’t need to just show this
to the public – but also to the people with
arthritis so they could see the positive impact
of them talking about their condition
• Produced a film with loved ones…
3. Wider
impact

19. • The problem was talking about arthritis was
not ‘normal’
• Needed to borrow the voices of others, more
high-profile, to demonstrate why we should
talk about it
• Partnership with Gogglebox to:
• Get people talking about arthritis and it’s true
impact
• Encourage other people with arthritis to talk about
their condition
4. Borrow
voices to
create a
new norm

20. • Some really good pieces of coverage and
video content. As well as some okay
pieces….
• But as a result, an outpouring of honest
stories online
• An inbox full of stories – that we’re still
getting through
• An environment that encourages more
people to be honest
What we’re
proud of

21. • Being reactive – we can all do it, but it
can be tough in the midst of a campaign
• Time – when time is short
• Some stories just didn’t fit the campaign –
had to use elsewhere, not hero assets
The tough
stuff

22. 1. Don’t panic! (as long as your decisions are
based on insight)
2. If you’re challenging perceptions – take
stock to think about where your beneficiaries
are in that journey
3. Flexible approach – rejig content. How else
can you tell the story?
4. Think about voices you can borrow to
amplify – and create a new norm
5. Be brave – don’t use it if it’s not working
TOP
TIPS

23. ANY QUESTIONS?

24. The power of human stories:
how to be an authentic storyteller
28 February 2019
London
#CharityStories

25. Visit the CharityComms website to view
slides from past events, see what events
we have coming up and to check out
what else we do:
www.charitycomms.org.uk