The solution was simple: this charity is an army. And that fact delivers a position among charities that only The Salvation Army can own. It also allows you to create provocative images and copy that play off of military themes. The viewer takes the information provided early in the commercial and doesn’t realise it’s for a charity – there is a twist at the end to reward the viewer for watching.

The results were powerful. Specific amounts of donations generated are not available because this commercial just recently started running. However, client response has been tremendous. For the first time, there is a campaign that clearly separates The Salvation Army from all other charities. It is powerful and provocative, yet it asks for donations in a very easy manner.