We wanted to dramatize emotionally what a 50-franc-bill can do.

And we wanted to show it in a location where - especially during Christmas season – many company events and parties for affluent people take place: at Zurich`s most prestigious Hotel the Dolder Grand Resort. The Hotel is known for its interior design and its selected artwork on the walls. And for its attitude as well: advertising is not welcome at the Hotel.

So how can you obtain space there if advertising is a no-go? With an art installation instead of advertising.

A 50-franc donation is the equivalent of a patient’s sight. We wanted to dramatize this fact impressively and directly via the light installation. Presenting every single shadow face as a piece of art – inspired by real cataracts patients that wait for a donation - made the venue in the hotel not only to a visual eye-catcher, but also to an emotional persuasion to donate money. And a lot of hotel guests did so directly via the SMS service. What the effect of their 50-franc donation would be could not have been demonstrated more directly.

The installation created a buzz and was featured in the local press. Thanks to the exhibition and the press coverage, the average donation for the Christoffel Blindenmission during the period of the campaign rose from 35 Swiss francs to 44 Swiss francs. But the promotion was also a success in quantitative terms: the volume of donations during the promotion period was 12% higher than during the same period the previous year.