A hard-hitting, headline-grabbing charity campaign will definitely get your charity noticed, but is it the right kind of attention? Just as Christmas TV ads divide the critics – and social media – every year, charity campaigns are also becoming a talking point. We cast our (bird’s) eye back over those we believe hit all the right notes in 2023 and find out what makes a good charity campaign.

CALM – The Last Photo

CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) wanted to change the conversation around suicide. They decided to focus on the last photos and videos ever taken of people before they took their own life. The photos show happy, smiling people – the idea being that none of us really know what suicidal ‘looks like’.

The resulting campaign, created by Hope & Glory and adam&eveDDB, went on to win Best Advocacy Campaign, Best Public Awareness Cause Campaign and Best Health Cause Campaign at the 2023 Purpose Awards.

Why we like it: social media now dominates our lives, but the campaign highlights the fact that no one ever really knows what’s going on behind those images, even those closest to us. Plus, CALM say The Last Photo led to the prevention of 161 suicides in the six months following the launch of the campaign.

An out of home advert shows a photo of a couple with text: 3 days later Ross took his own life. Suicidal doesn't always look suicidal. Find out how you could help save a life. — Image credit: adam&eveDDB

Women’s Aid – He’s Coming Home

Research by Women’s Aid shows that incidences of domestic violence rise by 38% when England lose a World Cup match – even if they win or draw, rates increase by 26%. To raise awareness of this fact, and direct women to sources of help and support during the 2022 World Cup, the charity launched He’s Coming Home.

The two-year campaign, created by House 337 and MHP Group, gives the well-known and well-loved football chant, ‘It’s coming home’ a powerful and distinctly unsettling twist. Women’s Aid say the campaign generated a huge amount of interest, including 14.9 million TikTok views on launch weekend alone.

Why we like it: it’s a simple idea, but simple charity campaign ideas are often the best. The gulf between the feelings of hope evoked in ‘It’s coming home’ and the fear in ‘He’s coming home’ is huge but captured so neatly in three little words. It’s a brilliant campaign we’ll remember every time we hear that song from now on.

Dementia UK – I live with dementia

Lots of people struggling with dementia don’t actually have the disease: instead, they’re responsible for looking after the person with a diagnosis. In our eyes, they are also “living with dementia” – and that’s why we created this campaign for Dementia UK. The charity’s amazing nurses are here to support the whole family – and they know the impact of dementia on family members, carers, friends and partners isn’t always recognised. It was our job to let these people know they’re not alone.

Lark led on the charity’s biggest brand awareness campaign to show that if you love someone living with dementia, you’re living with it too. The campaign was shortlisted for Best Health Cause Campaign in the 2023 Purpose Awards. We’re currently working on Phase 3, so watch this space…

Why we like it: our goal was to help people living with dementia recognise themselves in the campaign creative, and get the support they need. From sign-ups and downloads to ad views and social engagement, we smashed every single campaign metric – reaching far more people affected by dementia than the charity had ever hoped.

Alzheimer’s Research UK – Change The Ending

This ad for Alzheimer’s Research UK features a Disney-style animation where a prince rescues a princess from a dragon – the perfect fairy-tale ending. But as the cartoon continues, we see the prince become confused, angry and lost, and it finishes with a real-life wife caring for her husband who has Alzheimer’s.

It caused a huge backlash online, with some critics saying it used ‘dated stereotypes’ while others called it ‘demoralising’. But the charity defended the ad, saying it showed the need to find a cure and stop Alzheimer’s stealing another happy ending.

Why we like it: the campaign, created by Above+Beyond, turns the typical charity advert on its head; there’s no smiling faces at a fundraising event here. Whether or not you like the approach, it created a lot of attention around a subject that people don’t like to talk about – and we’re big fans of any campaign that shows the difficulties of living with dementia.

Wellbeing of Women – Just a Period

Millions of women and girls suffer from severe period pain or heavy bleeding but instead of getting the help they need, many are told it’s “just a period”. Wellbeing of Women want to end this stigma and help women access the right support, so they asked Lark to create an empowering and educational campaign.

At its heart is a campaign video focusing on four women, who talk about the life-changing impact periods can have. The video also won Best Charity Film at the 2024 Smiley Charity Film Awards ; go us! We also created a range of articles for the charity’s new periods hub.

Why we like it: using real women in the video, who told us what their periods are really like, helps tackle the silence and shame surrounding periods. Menstrual health is also a hot topic right now; the women and equalities select committee has just finished hearing evidence about the challenges women face getting diagnosis and treatment for gynaecological conditions. This campaign feels like we’re tapping into something much bigger than a single issue or cause.

Shelter – Good As Gold

It’s great to see a charity advert get as much attention a big brand, like John Lewis, this year. The winter Shelter campaign shows a young girl doing good deeds so she can get “just what she wants” for Christmas; a home. But on the big day, she still wakes up in a tiny room with her mother, baby brother and noisy neighbours.

The ad, by Don’t Panic London, makes the (painful) point that many families are living in temporary accommodation but simply wishing for a new home isn’t the answer. It finishes with an appeal for donations – and only Scrooge could refuse.

Why we like it: we’re bombarded with adverts to buy more, eat more and spend more at Christmas, and this campaign highlights the vast contrast between that mass consumerism and those who only have hope. Again, it’s a simple idea but so is the idea that everyone deserves a safe place to live.

Do you agree with our top charity campaigns of 2023? Is there any we’ve missed?

If this year is anything to go buy, 2024 is going to see even more charity campaigns pushing boundaries, challenging perceptions and have us reaching into our pockets.

The best charity campaigns of 2023