Ros Knight and Ali Straker, editorial team, British Red Cross 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. Same message, fresh content
Ali Straker and Ros Knight
Editorial team, British Red Cross

2. What are we talking about?
> Who we are and what we do
> Tips and tricks for keeping content fresh
> In detail: case studies of creative ways to
get attention for your cause

3. Our communications team
> The team – who’s who?
> Hybrid content and editorial
> 60% online 40% offline

4. Shared
calendar
Monday
news
meeting
Friday
editorial
meeting
Project
planning
Reactive
day-to-
day Online
content
planning

5. Key channels
> blogs.redcross.org.uk
> redcross.org.uk
> social media:
> Facebook
> Twitter
> Instagram

6. Current affairs
> It’s news to me
> News hooks work
especially for Twitter
and organic search
> Act appropriately, not
desperately.

7. In remembrance of
those who we lost
on 9/11 the hotel
will provide
complimentary
coffee and mini
muffins from
8.45-9.15am.

8. Statistics are your friends
> Same message
new stats
> What do the
stats tell you?
> Try a regular
release cycle

9. > Service users
> Volunteers
> Experts
> Celebrities
> Social media
personalities
> Commentators

10. Twitter
cards
Thinglink Multimedia
packages
Written
formats
Channels
Digital tools, formats and
channels
• Audioboom
• Medium
• Snapchat

11. Audience
> Can you segment
your segment?
> Find a way to make it
relevant – make the
connections for them
> Attitudes will give you
actionable insight

12. Case study: the Syria crisis

13. 2015
Seven million
people
displaced within
Syria.
Number of
Syrians living in
border countries
rapidly
approaching
four million.

14. 4 years of conflict
The British Red Cross is calling for urgent support for
their Syria Crisis Appeal.
We want to:
> increase media coverage
> encourage fundraising and engagement
> break through the apathy
> make the crisis relatable
…but how?

15. Milk!

16. No one home
> We launched an art
installation with Syrian artist
Ibrahim Fakhri to highlight
the desperate situation
facing millions of people
who had fled their homes.
> Visitors saw the entrance
to a family home with
1,461 milk bottles outside –
one for each day of the
Syria crisis.
> Another milk bottle was
added every day of the exhibition
as the crisis continued into its fifth year.
> https://vimeo.com/122248357

17. > Old Truman Brewery
> At the launch, a milk
bottle was added by
5-year-old twins from
Syria, Bishir and Bassil.
Their family fled Syria
and were helped by the
British Red Cross in
the UK.
> Two of our Syrian
volunteers, who used
to volunteer for our
partners, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, also attended the
launch event.

18. > Guardian, Time Out, Telegraph, Evening Standard, BT, Londonist,
Design Week, Express…
> LBC radio, London Live,
BBC Arabic…
> International coverage on
RAI (Italy), NRRTV
(Kurdish news),
Times of Oman,
Taz.de (German news
website)…
> 25 pieces of coverage
Media coverage

19. Who was involved?
> Fundraising
> International
> Humanitarian policy
> Comms: social media, editorial, media, design, video,
photography
> International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
> Volunteering (to help the staff the event)
> Agency (Rain/Ministry of Fun) to assist with the installation of
the event
> The artist and the Syrian family (availability for interviews was
an issue)

20. Social media
> Twitter engagement rate of
15.6% (average rate for major
brands = 0.5 - 0.7%)
> Striking and unusual visual
event lent itself well to social
media interaction
> Laying of milk bottles each day
provided another reason to
communicate on social media
> Total impressions: 155,297
> Total
engagements/likes/views:
20,090

21. Reasons to be cheerful
> Visual and quirky invited social
media opportunities – free
publicity for the piece, and our
work
> There were a number of ‘ways
in’ for public – it was
simultaneously an event, an art
piece, and a charity campaign
> Good relationship with venue,
artist, and agencies - they all
promoted the work with their
contacts
> We stood out
> Combining UK and Syrian
images created a link between
the two cultures, and the
quirkiness of the British milk
bottles intrigued international
media
> Working with a well-known
Syrian artist allowed us to do
more Arabic media, and to get
coverage in arts and events
media

22. The nitty gritty
> BUDGET
> Entire project cost around
£21,000 – including venue
hire, agency fees, artist’s
materials, photographer fee,
vinyls for walls and windows.
> ISSUES
> Lack of time!
> Capitalising on weekends – most
footfall – and not doing weekdays
or so many of them
> Working with artists is very
valuable but needs sensitivity and
isn’t always straight-forward
> The milk bottles had some paint
issues – more time needed for trial
and error

23. 2016: How do you beat
2,000 milk bottles?

24. Postcards for Syria

25. > We asked people to take part in Postcards for Syria to show
solidarity with Syrians and help support our work in the region.

26. > We asked high-profile supporters, celebrities, schoolchildren
and Syrian refugees to create a postcard artwork or poem, or
write a message – anything that expressed the themes of home,
hope or humanity.

27. > We displayed the postcards in an online gallery and at our
national headquarters in London. A selection were auctioned
online in aid of the British Red Cross Syria appeal.

28. > AIMS
> To highlight the length
of the Syrian conflict
and the humanitarian
impact
> To re-engage some
of our audiences
(donors, schools and
youth, high-profile
supporters)
> To connect with new
audiences
> To support our Syria
Crisis Appeal

29. Social media
> Over 3 million impressions
on social media (3.3 million
impressions on Twitter alone –
over 1 milion resulted from
aGuardian gallery)
> 52,900 reach on Facebook)

30. Reasons to be cheerful
> 90 pieces of media coverage
> Ebay auction raised £5,353.72
> 20,000 hits on all Syria-related
content in March
> A clear and simple brief which
allowed people to respond
creatively and meant anyone
could take part
> A great opportunity to work
with artists, celebrities and
include Syrian voices
> Boosted staff morale

31. The nitty gritty
> BUDGET
£677. For every £1 spent we
raised £9.15
> DID NOT RELY ON
ONE MESSAGE
Not issue-sensitive – a bonus
when so much was changing. On
March 15th Putin announced ‘job
done’ in Syria so news of the
conflict overtook the 5-year
milestone
> ISSUES
> Lack of time!
> One buyer pulled out of the sale,
leaving us to find a second buyer
> One school changed their mind
about media – felt issue too
political – had to remove those
images from media galleries – in
future have those conversations
earlier.

32. Click to add title
Thank you
Ros Knight Rosalindknight@redcross.org.uk
Ali Straker Astraker@redcross.org.uk

33. 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

34. Creatives Group
12 May 2016
London
#charitycreative
Keeping it fresh:
saying the same thing in a
different way