A marketing campaign from UNICEF UK that was developed especially for the mobile platform significantly increased brand awareness and support according to a recent study by global market research agency Millward Brown.
The research has shown that the mobile marketing campaign for UNICEF UK deployed earlier this year greatly increased awareness of UNICEF UK among mobile users. The ad was created by Ogilvy & Mather, optimised for mobile by Say Media and ran across Say’s premium network in the UK.
For the first time, it is possible to prove that a mobile focused campaign can have brand impact for a charity brand in the UK and the research findings provide a clear signal that consumers can be influenced by mobile advertising.
Laila Takeh, Head of Digital Engagement at UNICEF UK, said this activity “has given UNICEF UK valuable insight into how we can maximise the impact of mobile in future campaigns.”
The ad, ‘Speak Up for Children’ was created to put pressure on Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to place the needs of children at the heart of June’s Rio+20 Earth Summit.
A mobile website used patented technology that ensure the site was accessible on as many mobile handsets as possible, not just smartphones. The campaign asked people to sign an online petition aimed at the deputy Prime Minister through 400 million mobile impressions.
The effectiveness of the Speak up for Children campaign was researched by Millward Brown using its proprietary measurement: AdIndex for Mobile. Overall results showed:
• 5.1% increase in association that UNICEF improves the lives of children
• 5.5% increase in favourability towards UNICEF
• 4.3% increase in intent to donate to UNICEF
• 15.5% increase in perception that UNICEF is unceasingly committed despite this not being an overt part of the campaign content.
The study also showed some interesting differences in responses between men and women. Women questioned by the researchers gave a more emotional response increasing awareness, favourability and association that UNICEF ‘improves the lives of children’. Men interviewed showed a significant increase and intent to donate.
Paps Shaikh, Commercial Director at Say Media UK, commented: “Mobilising an audience of this size used to be the remit of the traditional media. These results confirm what I’ve always believed to be the case – the mobile channel can deliver tangible results for brands when placed front and centre in a campaign. This is just a taste of what we can expect in 2013.”