This Christmas, a number of brands have moved away from the tearjerker advert template that has served them well over the past few years.
However, animal conservation charity WWF has shown that there is still a place in the festive season for an emotional campaign.
Its advert centres on a family who awake to find a stricken tiger in their house. They nurse the animal back to health before bidding it an emotional farewell as it leaves via the back door into its natural habitat.
One purpose of the advert is to draw attention to a WWF report that focussed on the plight of wild tigers.
YouGov tracking data allows us to see how the advert has fared so far. Its Ad Awareness score (which measures whether someone has seen a charity’s advert in the last fortnight) shows a clear increase for WWF, jumping 3 points among the general public since the ad’s release.
Of course, the charity will be hoping that viewers act as a result of the campaign and donate. The early signs are good on this front. WWF’s Donation Consideration score (whether people would consider donating to the charity) has also improved, in this case by 4 points.
Naturally, thinking about doing something, and actually doing it are two different things. But YouGov Profiles data highlights why this particular campaign may be a boon to potential donors.
Looking specifically at those that would consider donating to WWF, we see that they are more likely than the population as a whole to be prompted into donating by a TV, radio or newspaper advert. That being said, they are still most likely to donate unprompted.
Should the charity wish to increase its advertising spend in others areas, the data suggests that those who would think about donating are more likely than the average to notice ads on the sides of buses (54% say this vs. 46%) and also on while on public transport (61% vs 55%).
For now, though, the charity should be content with the reception the advert has gained so far, especially at a time where there are so many high-profile campaigns.
Image PA
