The holidays are a key fund-raising time of year for charities, making the marketplace cluttered and competitive. And charities are also competing with a bombardment of commercial messages trying to get people to spend their money. We had the insight that it’s very easy for the 'season of goodwill' to turn into the 'season of excess'. We saw an opportunity to challenge this and remind people of what the spirit of the season is really all about. So we developed a light-hearted, positive campaign platform that asked people to 'Give something that means something'. The campaign featured an animated character struggling with the pressure to buy gifts for everyone on his list. As he runs around, struggling to buy gifts for everyone – all items made out of the word 'Stuff' – he finds relief in a more meaningful gift instead: a donation to the American Red Cross.

We developed a campaign platform that asked people to “Give something that means something” this year, featuring an animated character struggling with the pressure to buy gifts for everyone on his list. As he runs around, struggling to buy loads and loads of gifts – all items made up of the word “Stuff” – he finds relief in giving a more meaningful gift: a donation to the Red Cross.

The campaign consisted of TV, print, digital and radio that drove people to redcross.org to purchase a symbolic gift in the name of someone on their list—a donation to the Red Cross. The voiceover in TV featured actor Ted Danson, while Mark Mothersbaugh composed the music. The campaign was further supported in PR and by celebrity endorsements, including an article in the New York Times and a Facebook post from Jackie Chan reaching 24 million people.

Our goal was to raise $199m and achieve an ROI of over 146%. We exceeded both measurements, raising $245m and achieving an ROI of 148%. The campaign struck a chord with consumers, the media and celebrities alike, with articles written in the New York Times, celebrity tweets and posts including one from Jackie Chan that reached over 24m people. Also, donations increased by more than $13m compared to the previous year. In the end the main thing that changed from 2010’s activity was the creative idea, proving that a positive approach to giving works.