Report
The Charity
Help for Heroes are an organisation launched 2007 to aid the wounded servicemen and women in Britain’s current conflicts. I personally find
this to be an excellent cause, giving us (the general public) a way to return the favour for the brave who have fought for our country.
One of the aspects that they strongly reinforce is what they call direct action; the money raised and donated to the charity goes straight out to those in need, at the current date (08/05/09) they have raised over £20million with £13million already put to good use. So in other words, they don’t ‘faf-around’ with your money!
They support the Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, Tri-Service as they call it.
Only working from a ‘hut in Tidworth’ they are very cost effective,
once again reinforcing that the money raised goes straight to where
it’s needed most, and as with most charities their employees are
mostly volunteers.
What do they already do?
After an interesting phone interview it became apparent that they already have a large amount of advertising to raise awareness. The Sun newspaper being possibly the largest backer, along with the X-Factor finalists recording a single to raise money and numerous marathon runners this year.
A large billboard campaign sponsored by The Sun shows the people who have helped raise money for the charity, one of the most prominent being and elderly man holding a parachute with a line reading
“he jumped for them”.
It shows an element of humour and fun within the charity as well as conveying that all generations are willing to help the cause. While researching for the project I actually saw this poster on a billboard in
my hometown.
Their campaigns have already driven the charity further into the public eye and they are now raising over £1m every month. For such a young charity they are doing incredibly well and are still growing remarkably fast. This is all needed as many of the servicemen and women’s injuries are long term and need constant treatment, this charity really is vital
to their lives and the many more who may be in need in the future.
Help for Heroes also have an online shop from which you can buy
many different items of merchandise with the proceeds going to the charity. Ranging from teddy bears to wristbands it is a great way to further boost the money coming in. The site itself is reasonably well designed and managed (not an area which would need addressing).
What do they lack?
In terms of advertising and campaigns what they really lack is the appeal as to why people should donate. Most people would agree that the charity is a worthy one and most of the large donators would feel so strongly that they would not need any persuasion on the matter. There are many, thought, who do not immediately see why these servicemen should merit a donation and may not even regard them as heroes. So the campaign required was one that would be aimed at those who are more reluctant to donate, in other words to encourage new donations, as well as reinforcing the validity of the current backers and donators to the charity.
Research
I began with research into WWI and WWII propaganda, the types which advertised war bonds and appeals for scrap iron. They would use the image of a single ‘heroic’ figure to encourage donations and give hope and belief to the public. It was this heroic status and ideal that I wanted to re-establish within today’s society in regards to their view of our servicemen and women.
It became apparent that society’s impression of a hero has been somewhat changed over the last few decades. With soldiers being overlooked and the highest accolades and respect in society going to the sportsmen, entertainers and also businessmen (i.e. Richard Branson) who are now, by many, looked upon in a heroic light. In no means did I want to undermine their status, they have worked incredibly hard and achieved remarkable things, but it is the fact that men and women in war are risking their lives for that of those fighting beside them and getting little if no recognition. That is the area, which I feel, needs addressing; our heroes need our respect back.
Idea
My final idea, after many options, was to produce a Book of Heroes. This book portrays the heroes of society; sportsmen, music artists, businessmen etc; as elaborate, celebrated National Heroes, not undermining their accolades, in fact paying them respect. But the book is two sided, with the other side portraying the stories of the wounded soldiers who risked their lives fighting for our country. They all appear with a question mark next to National Hero, emphasising the way they are overlooked in society.
It is all about showing the contrast in what are two different worlds of heroes, both amazing in what they have done, but the one forgotten by society. Rough, obscuring graphics are used to show the pages of the servicemen and women as they treated this way by the media, always shunned from the front page by the latest amazing and scandalous celebrity story.
The paper stock used is different for either side of the book. Grainy, layed paper is used for the war heroes as to reinforce their treatment in the media and how they are often overlooked. The National heroes are treated with smooth paper the same weight but much more classy and respected to reflect their treatment and place in society.
The book is aimed to be sold on the charity’s website, with the possibility of it being released in stores nationwide, although this would require a larger budget. Running alongside the release of the book would be a poster campaign to advertise it; pages from the book are extracted to provoke interest. The most effective being those about the servicemen and women, putting on a large billboard the words “I guess my dancing days are over” with the story of Mark Ormrod who lost both legs and an arm. The posters of the sports (etc) heroes would also provoke a lot of interest; their names and status within society would attract much media attention and interest to the Help for Heroes charity and the Book of Heroes.
To Conclude
I have successfully met the requirements of the brief in this project, the book aims to raise the profiles of the servicemen and women who needs our help, giving everyone a reason to donate and an insight into why they are heroes. The book also has a value as a collectors item with the possibility of having a second edition in a few years, if not every year. It also attracts more traffic to the website where customers can browse the rest of the shop and may be tempted to purchase further items that catch their eye. They are also able to see the full stories of those in the book and others who may not have featured. The latest news about the charity and how much has been raised will also appear on the front page. Getting people onto the website is a big step towards their valuable donations.
This campaign would effectively increase the charity’s profile and that of our servicemen and women, with the hope of establishing their place in society, recognised with the heroic status they deserve.
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