In the most deprived communities of New Zealand, one out of every ten Kiwi kids lack the basic necessity of a bed. With the country heading into the winter months, Variety New Zealand is launching its Winter Appeal for 2023, developed by Federation, to raise money for warm beds and bedding for children living in poverty.
Central to the campaign is the truism that many Kiwi kids don’t get to ‘sleep well’ over winter. The campaign also uses the true-to-life ‘sleep hack’ that some kids living without warm beds and blankets are using. For far too many, it’s having to use discarded clothes or the contents of a laundry basket as a blanket.
The campaign, featuring a young child trying to keep warm under a pile of clothes, runs for three months across broadcast television, out of home advertising, radio, social and digital executions. The launch work includes a series of billboards with familiar bedtime phrases as headlines. In each instance the positive word of the bedtime phrase is obscured by the confronting fact that 1 in 10 Kiwi Kids don’t have a bed to sleep in.
Federation Managing Partner, Olly Walker-Boden, says: “It’s tough times financially for lots of Kiwis at the moment, so fundraising campaigns need to work extra hard to connect authentically with audiences. By disrupting the societal norms of ‘sleep well’ and ‘good night’, we want to resonate enough for people to feel compelled to act – the creative is intentionally simple, authentic and… human.’’
Susan Glasgow, CEO, Variety New Zealand says: “The reality is that there’s really not a ‘good night’ ahead for thousands of Kiwi kids right now. Kids in poverty bear the brunt of high rates of winter illnesses and we’ve been inundated with calls for beds and bedding since the cold weather arrived. While we do a Winter Appeal campaign every year, the cost-of-living crisis gripping New Zealand means the need for Variety’s support is greater than ever.”
To give a Kiwi kid in need a warm bed to sleep in this winter, donate to: https://www.varietywinterappeal.org.nz/
Credits:
Client: Variety NZ
Creative, Strategy: FEDERATION
Photography: Fraser Clements
Media: Variety NZ
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