2013 winner: Refuge, marketing on a shoestring, case study

Refuge is one of the UK’s largest domestic violence charities. This paper describes how, without a production of media budget, they used ingenuity, an understanding of the modern media landscape, and the power of creative content to start a conversation no-­one wanted to have.

In 2012, Refuge was faced with a significant lack of funding but a desire to address the shocking consequences of ignorance about domestic violence among the teen audience. An audience that had no interest in hearing Refuge’s message, and all of the tools of modern media at their disposal to help them avoid it.

Creating a sensation

Instead of relying on disruptive communications methods that were unlikely to effective (and which we couldn't afford anyway), Refuge instead took a subversive approach, using understanding of our media culture and powerful content to create an impact far beyond the budget available.

A trusted medium became a “Trojan Horse” for an unheralded and shocking piece of content. Content was tailored entirely to its environment, and designed specifically to encourage users to replicate the “Trojan Horse” in sharing it themselves. Simultaneously, the campaign was packaged specifically for a mass media audience hungry for “social media sensation”.

The result was a campaign that started conversations on an (inter)national, social and individual level – a campaign that generated millions of pounds worth of media value, that exposed almost 100 million people to a vital issue, created a space for people to discuss and share subjects and feelings that usually remained hidden, and that changed thousands of lives in a profound and immediate way.

And all for £404.

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