Not-for-Profit

Relying entirely on donations, KidsCan was hit hard by Covid-19, but was not about to let kids go hungry. With the help of agencies and other keen partners they turned a negative into a positive.


The Challenge

With the arrival of Covid-19 and the subsequent Lockdown, many New Zealanders have been affected financially. However, those who were already financially disadvantaged, were hit even harder during Lockdown, including those families and children who are a part of the KidsCan trust. 

Like other organisations, heading into Lockdown caused a significant funding shortfall for KidsCan and with no Government funding, a solution was needed, and fast. To ensure these families didn’t go hungry, KidsCan launched the 19for19 campaign, which encouraged anyone who could donate a mere $19 to the trust to do so. Turning the number 19 into something positive was the driver behind the initiative, and was something KidsCan believed Kiwis could, and would like to, rally around. 

The Response

Created in an extremely difficult environment, everyone involved in the 19for19 campaign was working from home. Each meeting was done virtually, with all of the team adjusting to a new norm of production. KidsCan wanted to be adaptive and work at pace to create a powerful campaign that was also simple enough to execute quickly. 

With no budget, the campaign relied heavily on the generosity of key agencies and partners like DDB, Mango, TRACK and OMD. Driving people to a new 19for19 fundraising page, the campaign ran across TV, on-demand, digital, print and social, and also received huge media support from The Project and One News. Responding to the urgency of the brief, creative agency DDB delivered the concept and development for this worthy initiative in less than seven days. 

The Results

In just three weeks, KidsCan produced a full marketing campaign for the 19for19 initiative which raised over $2.14 million. Food parcels were delivered to the homes of 4,000 Kiwi families, ensuring kids in need would not go hungry during the Covid-19 Lockdown. Public donations made up $1.14 million, while KidsCan’s principle partner Meridian matched another $1 million towards the cause. 

The result was a 328 percent increase of the original fundraising target of $500,000. A significant growth was also seen on every single measurable channel including web traffic and social engagement. 

KidsCan are proud of creating a campaign in such a unique and challenging time and are over the moon with delivering such a huge reach and engagement for their charitable trust.

Entry details

Category: Not-for-Profit
Company: KidsCan
Marketing Initiative: 19for19 Campaign
Marketing Partners: DDB, TRACK NZ, Mango, OMD
Judge’s Comments: “The standout campaign produced strong feelgood results, with many kids in need getting crucial support.”
Finalists: Alexander PR and Perpetual Guardian for the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association,
New Zealand AIDS Foundation / Body Positive / Positive Women Inc, New Zealand Mountain Safety Council, The Movember Foundation


This article was originally published in the December/January 2020 issue of NZ Marketing. You can subscribe to the magazine, here. Or read the other winner stories, here.

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