VSO launches new advertising campaign aimed at commuters
(10 September 2004)International development charity VSO today launched the third instalment in its trilogy of tube adverts that encourage commuters to share their professional skills in the world’s poorest communities.
The adverts have clearly struck a chord with disaffected professionals in London as the charity saw a 35% increase in applications since the second advert appeared in June.
Created by Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw, the new ads aim to engage commuters who are fed up with the daily grind and want to do more with their lives. Around 6,000 posters will feature on London tube trains and trains on the South West, South East and WAGN commuter lines. The advert will also run in commuter newspaper Metro.
VSO’s Head of Communications, Glyn Williams said today that:
The ads have really tapped into a growing feeling amongst London’s professionals that they want more from life than the daily commute and grind. We have seen a significant increase in applications from the business and management sector, from people in their thirties who have begun to reassess their personal priorities.
The new ads provide the final instalment in a story which began earlier this year. Posters launched in February and June asked the viewer “Will you remember today forever?” and contrasted the trials and tribulations of office life and celebrity gossip with the difference volunteering overseas could make to your life and the lives of people in the world’s poorest communities. The new ad asks “Will you remember this ad forever?” and is designed to give a final push to people who were engaged by the earlier ads but are yet to act upon them.
The campaign will be supported by field marketing in Charing Cross, Victoria and Liverpool Street, three of the biggest commuter stations in London. Commuters will be invited to drop-information evenings at the stations where they can find out more about volunteering with VSO. The campaign will be rolled-out later this autumn with adverts planned for train and tram networks across Scotland and in Manchester.
VSO currently has opportunities across a broad range of professions including business and management, health, education and natural resources.
Editors' notes