2023 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

With so many worthy causes to support, it can be hard to get the attention (and dollars) of potential donors - especially without a global brand or name recognition. Their client, the Jane/Finch Community and Family Centre, is one of 86,000 registered charities in Canada and one that most had never heard of.

Rising income inequality creates a poverty-reinforcing loop: increasing the need for donations while reducing people's ability to give.

It's the 'modern-day Robin Hood story' of taking from the mega-rich (in a perfectly legal way)
to benefit the poor.

Since the people who are most passionate about income inequality are often those without the means to give, the agency wanted to create a campaign that not only engaged people but had a built-in donation mechanism. This young target is sick of the rich getting richer while the average Canadian struggles.

The team scoured the internet, past donation campaigns, and social platforms, and discovered a donation mechanism that fit so perfectly with the topic that they knew immediately that they had something special. They took advantage of a loophole in the streaming service Twitch (owned by Amazon and Jeff Bezos) where Amazon Prime Members get a free $3.50 to subscribe and support a streamer. If the $3.50 isn’t used, it goes right back to Amazon. So the agency turned JFC into a verified Twitch streamer, allowing people to subscribe to us and donate money in a way that's 100% funded by Amazon.

The agency met their annual fundraising goal in less than 5 days. The campaign not only garnered much-needed donations but allowed them to enter the conversation about income inequality and tap into the groundswell of disillusionment against corporations who do little to benefit the communities their
workers live in.

In addition, The Jane/Finch Community Centre received a different type of coverage than the negative press the neighbourhood regularly gets. Historical news stories are about violence, poverty, and other topics that paint the community in a negative light.

This coverage was about all the good things the centre is doing to support education, immigration, anti-violence initiatives, seniors, mental health, and more. And in a satisfying moment of engagement, people were able to not only help a community centre but also got a chance to 'Bill it to Bezos'.

Credits

CEO: Brent Choi
CCO: Erin Kawalecki
CSO: Graham Candy
Copywriter: Ian Dunlop
Art Director: Chenice Piercy
3D Artist: Liam Murphy
Digital ACD: Amr Elkouedy
ECD: Raul Garcia
Head of Production: Hanna Bratt
Sr. Project Manager: Ana Del Monaco
Editors: Raul Garcia, Chenice Piercy
V/O Talent: Sean McBride
Audio: Pirate Toronto (Executive Producer: Maggie Blouin; Audio Director/Engineer: Ian Boddy)