For too many children, all they want for Christmas is food. Variety NZ’s emotive campaign used real stories to gather record donations and spread good cheer.
With food insecurity the top concern for Kiwis in need at Christmas time, children’s charity Variety NZ made its mission in 2023 to feed as many families as possible.
And feed Kiwis it did, with the appeal being the charity’s most successful to date, raising four times the $250,000 target, providing food to 5,000 Kiwi families and 20,000 kids.
Every year, Variety surveys families in need and for the past two years it got the same answer: food insecurity at Christmas is a top concern.
Discovering that for one in six children in our poorest communities, food is the only gift they are wishing for at Christmas made Variety determined to go above and beyond to help.
The charity encouraged New Zealanders to donate and put the joy back into the holiday season – knowing that access to food at Christmas has a profound impact both mentally and physically, making kids feel normal.
Via a bespoke website for the Christmas Appeal, people were welcomed to donate any sum they were able or to choose from the following options:
- $40 to provide a Christmas dessert for a struggling family
- $80 to provide a Christmas meal to a child living in poverty
- $150 would give a struggling family of two a meal and,
- $300 to provide a festive feast for a family of four to six.
Kiwis were driven to donate by the charity’s authentic and emotive appeal. It centred on letters, both the ones Variety receives from families around Aotearoa, and the ones kids write to Santa that never get sent.
These raw, emotional pieces detail their situations and the truth of the struggles they face daily. Like the one Variety-sponsored child Joseph, aged seven, wrote to Santa, asking for a big pavlova, which has sat scrunched up at the bottom of his school bag for the past two years.
Further out-of-home advertising featured Tama, aged eight, who asked for a yummy dinner for him and his mum; Ava, aged eight, who wanted to share a gingerbread with her brother and Sammy, aged seven, who wants to let Santa know while she won’t have milk and cookies for him, she’s drawn some in case he visits.
Wanting as much of Aotearoa to see the campaign as possible and donate, TV and out-of-home advertising was supported with street posters and bus backs.
Digital media allowed Variety to target audiences who were more likely to donate, including specific placements through Meta and Trade Me, and an email campaign to existing and lapsed donors.
Enabling as many Kiwi families as possible to experience the magic of Christmas saw Variety live up to its ethos of helping children and young people to thrive in Aotearoa.
Judges’ comments
“In a really strong category, this was a clear winner. A great campaign that combined a strong understanding of the problem and the audience with striking and emotional creative and effective tactical mix and execution. Great to see such an important cause being supported so well.”
This was first published in the 2024 September-October NZ Marketing Magazine issue. Subscribe here.
