New York, July 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Comic Relief USA today recognized the commitment and support of leading advertising and creative agencies Mekanism and Fitzco for their support of the non-profit’s record-breaking 2018 Red Nose Day campaign -- an annual event to help end child poverty. Through their support, industry expertise and unique content and creative, Red Nose Day was able to reach a range of new audiences, with data showing higher levels of brand awareness and engagement as a result of this year’s efforts.
The support of these key partners’ combined efforts propelled the campaign to surpass this year’s fundraising goals. The 2018 Red Nose Day campaign has been the most successful to date: over $42 million has been raised so far, with money still coming in from public fundraisers and other sources. The 2018 monies bring the campaign’s four-year total to $145 million, which supports programs to ensure that children living in poverty are safe, healthy and educated.
“Mekanism and Fitzco are at the top of their field, and have so graciously given substantial creative resources to the 2018 Red Nose Day campaign,” said Mary Corigliano, SVP Brand Marketing & Digital, Comic Relief USA, the charity behind the Red Nose Day campaign. “They have been true strategic partners in helping further our critical mission -- ending child poverty, one nose at a time. We are thrilled to have these exceptional agencies as partners, and so grateful for their generous support.
Mekanism created an animated campaign for Red Nose Day building around the theme of “The Noses Are Back”. It literally brought the campaign’s iconic Red Noses to life, creating a fun and playful way to spread Red Nose Day’s message, and the impact the campaign has had on millions of children living in poverty. Mekanism’s distinctive work in “Big Deal” and “Beach” featured the Red Noses sharing their story. The lively content ran in a significant array of pro-bono media across broadcast, social and digital on multiple channels. In addition, the creation of a detailed asset kit for the non-profit will ensure that the winning creative will live on beyond 2018. Mekanism also supported the Red Nose Day campaign in 2017, and was instrumental in developing the brand’s identity to effectively engage US audiences and communicate its mission and unique tone and approach.
Fitzco’s “#GoNosetoNose” campaign encouraged supporters to buy multiple Red Noses from Walgreens -- the exclusive retailer of the campaign’s now iconic symbol -- find a friend, and make a video or selfie of themselves touching Red Noses. When sharing the images on social media, they let everyone know they made a donation at RedNoseDay.org, and then challenged two more friends to go Nose to Nose. The concept came to life in a range of celebrity-led media assets featuring high-profile talent to galvanize public support for the charity. These assets included Bill and Melinda Gates and Amanda Seyfried and Lily James going “Nose to Nose”, and Jennifer Garner and Kelly Clarkson sharing unique personal stories. ‘Nose to Nose’ was also integrated into Red Nose Day activations that took place during major entertainment and sporting events across the country including WWE Wrestlemania, NY Mets and Washington Nationals home baseball games, a Washington Capitals Stanley Cup playoff hockey game, and an LA Galaxy soccer match -- increasing the campaign’s visibility for sports fans, and offering a way for consumers to engage with the charity brand.
Throughout the seven-week period leading up to May 24, the brand’s creative assets and content were promoted across multiple media, secured pro-bono by MediaStorm. Placements included local broadcast and national cable, cinema, OOH -- including “The Bird” in Times Square, and National and Commuter OOH -- Taxi TV, Mall Network and the salon-based Gloss Network.
Generous pro-bono placements were also provided by The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Cardtronics and Snap Inc., in addition to the extensive support provided by Red Nose Day’s media partner, NBC, and the wider NBCUniversal family, as well as media supporters of The Red Nose Day Special.
Red Nose Day was created by Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning writer-director Richard Curtis, (“Love Actually,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Notting Hill”). It has raised more than $1 billion globally since its launch in the U.K. in 1988.
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About Red Nose Day USA
Red Nose Day USA is a fundraising campaign run by the non-profit organization Comic Relief USA. Red Nose Day started in the U.K., built on the foundation that the power of entertainment can drive positive change, and has raised over $1 billion since the campaign’s founding in 1988.
The fourth annual Red Nose Day took place on Thursday May 24, 2018. Since launching in the U.S. in 2015, Red Nose Day has raised over $145 million. Money raised by Red Nose Day USA supports programs that keep children in need safe, healthy and educated both in America and abroad. Red Nose Day USA has received generous support from millions of Americans, hundreds of celebrities and many outstanding partners, including Walgreens, NBC, Mars, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For more information about Red Nose Day and its impact, visit www.rednoseday.org. Follow @RedNoseDayUSA on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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