La grande guignolée des médias (The Media's Big Food Drive) brings together members of the media industry from across Quebec to create a moment of solidarity during the month of December. Thousands of media professionals and volunteers get together to collect non-perishable items and cash donations to support food aid organizations.
The difficult socio-economic landscape over the last few years has increased poverty and reduced donations. The Centre d'étude sur la pauvreté et l'exclusion (Centre for poverty and social exclusion studies) found that poverty in Quebec has been deteriorating since the 2008 financial crisis. Low incomes correspond with a level below the poverty threshold, increasing from 8.3% in 2007 to 10.7% in 2011.
"The new poor'' are families with low income and insufficient funds to meet housing and food needs but do not necessarily live in the street. To stand out amongst the other 46,000 charitable organizations in Quebec, La grande guignolée des médias and TAM-TAM\TBWA needed to address this new phenomenon of poverty in a realistic way.
The organization and agency created a campaign featuring OOH, print, social media videos, radio spots, and TV ads.
In a television spot, the team decided to show the new face of poverty as it is. In a hyper-real fashion docu-drama, La grande guignolée des médias put a spotlight on a Quebec family stuck in a difficult situation. The film shows a single mother who loses her job, struggles to make ends meet and is finally confronted with housing and food problems. The spot shows how poverty can happen to anyone and a lot faster than many think. The story was also narrated by someone who has experienced and bears witness to this new reality.
The team also posted a fake ad on Kijiji, showcasing an almost new car, on sale for a ridiculously low price. Callers are left with a message about how the car owner has to sell the vehicle to make ends meet after losing her job. At the end of the recording, people were invited to make a donation over the phone.
The campaign went beyond Kijiji, generating awareness and endorsements from well-known personalities and media.
In stores, a sign was placed near the express checkout (for eight items or less) in grocery stores. The sign included copy that read: "For you, this is the express checkout. For some, 8 items is all they can afford. Give generously. – The Media's Big Food Drive"
The campaign had positive effects on donations: there was a significant increase of $600,000 worth of donations (an increase of 35% the year prior) in 2015. This donation amount was the highest in the organization's history. The campaign has also won numerous awards in Québec, such as a Grand Prix and Prix at Créa 2016.
