Australian charity Vinnies aims to help people in need at Christmas. In Australia there is a common expression used to describe giving someone a helping hand, which is to “give a leg up”. This originated from the physical act of helping someone climb over an obstacle.

As a time of giving and generosity but also overindulgence, Christmas lunch was the perfect moment to invite families young and old to give a leg up to those less fortunate.

The idea: Vinnies ‘Give A Leg Up’ Christmas Appeal.

We partnered with Australia’s largest poultry brand, Steggles, to create a new symbol of generosity: a one legged turkey.

For every turkey sold, the proceeds from the extra leg were donated to those in need. Inviting families to literally give food from their table, to someone else’s on Christmas Day. It was the beginning of a new Christmas tradition.

In the first week of December, ‘Give A Leg Up’ was launched in a nationwide collaboration with Australia’s food community. Celebrity chefs and social influencers like The Gourmet Pommies, Todd’s Kitchen and Nicko’s Kitchen inspired Australians with one legged turkey recipes and nationwide PR. One legged turkeys were sold at local stores in the lead up to Christmas. The conversation was then amplified with an integrated campaign across film, radio, social, OOH, press, PR and activation.

In addition to the one legged turkeys sold, over 140,000 specially branded Steggles turkey legs were also sold in major supermarkets and through food trucks at iconic Australian locations - with all proceeds going towards the ‘Give A Leg Up’ appeal.

On Christmas day, we invited people to share a photo of the one legged turkeys they served, with each photo unlocking an extra donation.

‘Give A Leg Up’ struck a cultural chord with Australian families at Christmas:

? Targets were exceeded with $4.75 million in donations

? This bought one week’s worth of food for over 95,000 Australians

? Campaign generated 20 million media impressions

? The success of the campaign has led to an ongoing partnership between Vinnies and Steggles to help Australian families every Christmas