It’s been another incredible year for inspiring charity campaigns – and not just those that we won… ahem.

We take a look back at all the campaigns that got us talking in the Lark studio through 2024, from the thought-provokers to the gut-punchers.

Frazzled – World Mental Health Day

The mental health charity space is becoming increasingly crowded, so how does an existing brand make sure they stand out? Frazzled decided to launch their campaign (and a full brand refresh) on World Mental Health Day with a great comedy sketch showing the fake conversations we all have while hiding our true feelings.

Frazzled, founded by comic Ruby Wax, provides free online and face-to-face support groups across the UK where anyone feeling overwhelmed by the stresses of modern life can meet up for a chat. The campaign, created by Revolt, shows that awkward small talk isn’t really helping anyone, but how talking openly can.

Why we like it: It’s funny! Which isn’t something you can often say about mental health campaigns. Plus, so many of us find ourselves in the ‘small talk situation’ that it feels relevant to everyone, not just those experiencing mental health issues.

Age UK – Let’s Change How We Age

Why do we value old objects over older people? That’s the bold premise of Age UK’s latest campaign: ‘Let’s change how we age’. The charity asks us to reframe how we think about ageing, with the stark warning that all of us will be older someday.

Led by Kathi Hall’s great brand team at Age UK, this campaign by Neverland highlights the fact that too many older people are now facing poverty, isolation and ageism in society. And unless we change our attitudes, even more of us will struggle with these issues as we get older.

Why we like it: In an era where vinyl is making a comeback, reading books is seen as novel (‘scuse the pun), and Antiques Roadshow is still wildly popular, it’s amazing no one has asked why we don’t see older people as retro, cool or vintage before. Like all good charity campaigns, sometimes the simplest ideas are the best.

British Heart Foundation – ‘Til I Died

Most of England was swept up in the excitement surrounding the Euros this summer, but this hard-hitting campaign from British Heart Foundation focused on those who couldn’t celebrate. ‘‘Til I died’ from Saatchi & Saatchi commemorates 12 young football fans whose lives were instantly cut short by heart disease

The fundraising campaign – for lifesaving research into sudden cardiac death – takes the life-affirming football chant “England Till I Die” quite literally, turning it into something that sounds quite foreboding.

Why we like it: Heart disease tends to be (wrongly) associated with overweight, older men, so showing that younger men and women can be just as much at risk really hits home. We also loved the idea to project images of the 12 young fans onto buildings in Berlin during the final, emphasising the point that they weren’t there.

Bowel Cancer UK – Your Greatest Gift

It’s no surprise that legacy campaigns often make us think about death. But when Bowel Cancer UK asked Lark to reimagine their legacy programme, we wanted to flip the script. Because leaving a gift in your Will should be an amazingly hopeful, life-affirming thing to do.

We named this campaign ‘Your greatest gift’ – as it juxtaposes the priceless but intangible ‘gifts’ we receive from the people we love most, with the life-changing gift we can all give to future generations through our Wills.

Why we like it: Creating this campaign was special because of the phenomenal team at Bowel Cancer UK, and the incredible people we featured in the campaign video. From storyboard to final cut, it was as uplifting, emotional and relatable as we’d all hoped.

CALM – Missed Birthdays

CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) has created yet another powerful campaign. This year, they’re focusing on youth suicide and all the young people who never made their next birthday – suicide is currently the most common cause of death for those under 24 in the UK.

The centrepiece of the campaign (by adam&eveDDB) was an installation of 6,929 birthday balloons. Each one represents a young person who died by suicide in the last decade and the birthday they did not reach. The impact is overwhelming.

Why we like it: It’s impossible not to be moved by the sight of all those balloons with ages printed on them, some as young as 14. Taking an everyday symbol of joy and celebration and turning it into a sign of loss is clever, challenging and heartbreaking.

Shelter – Made in Social Housing

“Our house, in the middle of our street” – you may know this classic Madness song, but did you know frontman Suggs grew up in social housing? He’s now fronting the latest campaign from Shelter, highlighting the value that social housing brings to communities and the UK as a whole.

Suggs and other stars, including actor Eddie Marsan and presenter Yinka Bokinni, discuss the security that social housing gave them growing up, and how we can give the same opportunities to future generations by building more social housing.

Why we like it: Anything that challenges perceptions gets our vote. Not only does this campaign make you rethink your ideas of where certain celebrities come from, it makes you realise we could lose our leaders of the future if we don’t provide safe places for them to grow up.

Do you agree with our round-up of the best charity campaigns in 2024? Or are you still singing that Madness song?!

And if you’d like to work with Lark for your next campaign, please get in touch.

The best charity campaigns of 2024