Small pack, big impact

As Avian Flu continued to kill many thousands of birds, Cherry Tiger were asked to develop a new appeal to existing supporters via DM and email. With the emergency ongoing, our challenge was to keep up the urgent need for support, even though a lot of our audience had previously seen an ask on the same topic or donated before.

Our creative response needed to reinforce the need to act urgently to tackle Avian Flu by supporting the RSPB. We wanted to keep the format simple and cost effective to get across a sense of immediacy and speed.

It was also vital to deliver emotional impact. Through our research, we knew that the fragile tern colony on Coquet Island had been badly affected and we asked to interview one of the wardens on the island. His heartfelt testimony was incredibly powerful and emotional for all of us. We needed to look no further than what he had experienced day after day in seeing the wildlife he loved decimated by Avian Flu. Including his story was a vital element of the appeal.

Finally, we had to work closely with the RSPB team to think carefully
how we framed the tangible impact of support. As there is no cure for Avian Flu, we couldn’t make a simplistic argument that donations could prevent or stop more wildlife dying. But that didn’t mean we couldn’t demonstrate that donations would facilitate immediate action on the ground, through both long-term research and by being ready to respond. The appeal was extremely timely, landing just before wintering birds arrived back in the UK. The race was on to be prepared for another outbreak – which helped give the appeal the urgency it needed.

This simple execution belied the complex task to develop a clear case for support. We were delighted with the results as the appeal generated over £285,000 across direct mail and email.