The Salvation Army

THE PROBLEM:
Though most Americans are familiar with The Salvation Army and its commitment to helping those in need, few know of the charity's gift by will program.  The organization knew that a subtle, gentle touch would be required to discuss the benefits of charitable end of life planning with its senior audience. BKV was selected to communicate with the primarily Southeastern, 55+ audience in an effort to explain and encourage gifts by will as well as meet a more specific set of goals. We endeavored not only to sustain The Salvation Army's positive image, but also to generate leads for the division representatives in each region,  determine the winning creative for a subsequent rollout, and gauge the viability of broadcast and print as direct response media for the gifts by will program.

THE BKV SOLUTION:
We understood that the subject of wills is a touchy one, requiring a compassionate voice to communicate with seniors about end of life planning.  For this reason, BKV suggested Dixie Carter as a spokesperson, and she graciously agreed.  Ms. Carter's support of "her favorite charity" stemmed from the aide The Salvation Army gave her father during World War II. This along with her age, credibility, persuasive personality, and popularity in the South made her the perfect spokeswoman to educate the target audience through a multi-media campaign (DRTV, Radio, and Print).  Each medium encouraged action through the offer of a free Legacy of Love Estate planning booklet, and we were able to track each approach's success through various URLs.

THE RESULT:
Thanks to the mission of The Salvation Army, the charisma of Dixie Carter, and the innovative thinking of BKV, the campaign was a complete success! The campaign was evaluated in terms of impressions generated, leads acquired, and the number of associated gifts. While the number of associated gifts could not be accurately evaluated due to the nature of the gift, we generated nearly 30 million impressions and acquired EIGHT TIMES the number of expected leads. Our unique measured approach to a sensitive subject matter resulted in a tremendous success.

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