This campaign was led entirely by PR there was no paid media whatsoever. This is important, given that people are conscious of vital charity funds being used to save lives not on marketing.

THE CHALLENGE:

The 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami ravaged 14 countries including Indonesia, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka. During the aftermath, Australians donated $42 million to the CARE appeal helping to deliver vital ‘Care Packages’ of aid. However, people are used to hearing charities ask for money, but they never know exactly

where their donation dollars go.

THE IDEA:

So on the 10th anniversary of the tragedy, we did the opposite. Instead of asking for donations, we thanked Australians for what they’d already given. At Australia’s biggest sporting event, the Boxing Day Test cricket match against India, one of the most effected countries, we delivered a ‘CARE Package of Thanks’ featuring 10,000 personalised thank

you letters to all of Australia.

THE RESPONSE:

People shared the letters, including the captain of the Australian Cricket

Team, Michael Clarke whose post reached over a million followers alone.

THE RESULTS:

• 113 news stories across every major newspaper and TV station in Australia

• 541% lift in website traffic

• 434% increase in donations (unprompted)

• Tweeted by Captain and Coach of Australian Cricket team reaching over 2 million followers

• PR value of $1.7 million

• Zero media spend

‘The Care Package of Thanks’ – proving that a dollar given to CARE today has a lasting impact on lives tomorrow.

A decade later, on the very day of the tragedy at Australia's biggest sporting event — the Boxing Day Test cricket match against India, one of the most effected countries — we delivered another essential package: a Care Package of Thanks featuring 10,000 personalised thank you letters written by actual survivors as a thank you to all of Australia.

The campaign took on a life of its own as people shared the letters. While PR was foreseen, the letters struck an emotional chord with Australians beyond our expectations – planned, we hijacked the conversation around Australia's biggest sporting event.

The results:

People shared the letters, including the captain of the Australian Cricket Team, Michael Clarke and the coach, whose posts reached over two million followers.

• 113 news stories across every major newspaper and TV station in Australia

• 541% lift in website traffic

• 434% increase in donations (unprompted)

• PR value of $1.7 million

• Zero media spend