Quite normal disabled
Alfredo Briccola Launches Part Two of Pro Infirmis' Awareness Campaign
Alfredo Briccola launches part two of his awareness-raising campaign for Pro InfirmisBy Luca Aloisi They make a frontal stand to stop being discriminated against: fathers and mothers with their mentally or physically disabled children. Alfredo Briccola's follow-up campaign also confidently rejuvenates the image of the disability organization.
The media hype surrounding the Pro Infirmis image campaign launched in December 2000 was inevitable. At the time, the Erlenbach agency Metzger Lehner Briccola (now MetzgerLehner Worldwide) offended some viewers with a bold and courageous testimonial.
Aware of the conflicting goals, Pro Infirmis had the advertisers develop a pure image campaign rather than a fundraising campaign. For the first time, disability was not made visible through accessories and no one was shown in a wheelchair or with a cane.
Whereas previously pitiable, basket-weaving disabled children or helplessly house-keeping frail people were depicted, now it was self-confident disabled people. They did not want to arouse pity, but to present themselves to the public as personalities with a handicap. A player's agent, a student, an actor or a Down syndrome couple kissing put themselves on display in a relaxed manner. The claim made it clear in the tone of a battle cry: "We will not be hindered."
The sequel - not a sequel to the first campaign
This provocative slogan is the only component that has been seamlessly incorporated into the new campaign. Otherwise, freelance creative consultant Alfredo Briccola, who teamed up with his former business partner Marco Lehner for the new campaign, "didn't just want to produce a sequel to the first campaign with the self-confident people. I wanted to clearly expand the idea." And this despite the fact that Mark Zumbühl, Head of Communications and Fundraising at Pro Infirmis, was satisfied that the three main objectives had been achieved in the evaluation of the first campaign. The image of the serious and reliable organization was credibly supplemented with the attribute "modern". The significance of this development becomes clear when you realize that the importance of legacy and bequest business for aid organizations has risen sharply. Trust must therefore be won in the long term through transparency, image and continuity.
Thanks to the unusual first campaign, the Pro Infirmis Foundation experienced a marked increase in awareness and was thus able to defend its slice of the pie in the fiercely competitive fundraising market. This rose to a total of around one billion Swiss francs in 2001 and, according to experts, has thus exhausted its potential in Switzerland.
However, the number of organizations that want to share in this donation amount has grown considerably. However, Pro Infirmis also managed to collect around 26.5 million francs in donations last year, even though "our poster campaign was not a fundraising campaign".
Zumbühl's third important marketing objective is to "anchor new images of disabled people in people's minds". The seven new subjects, again taken free of charge by renowned fashion photographer Hannes Schmid, should also succeed in doing this. After all, in addition to the core business - social counseling for people with disabilities - the advertising budget of 200,000 francs is also intended to give the public an understanding of aspects such as independence and personal responsibility for the disabled. However, Zumbühl believes that the antiquated images of these people must first be thrown overboard. And that is exactly what he wants to achieve: by showing non-disabled people the "normality" of disability. Depending on the definition of disability, statistics also assume that one in eight people live with a disability.
The more provocative, the more credible the statements
Nevertheless, carefully casting and informing these people was back-breaking work - not because there was a lack of willingness, but "because we were looking for protagonists who could actually convey a message," says Zumbühl, alluding to the typical problem of non-profit organizations. Despite 1400 poster sites, Pro Infirmis relies on the multiplier effect of accompanying PR and media work to compensate for the modest budget.
As a result, the parents and young children appearing had to accept that they would become public figures to a certain extent. This is precisely where the new campaign differs from the old one, in which the adults depicted were able to protect their own integrity. In the new one, however, children are indirectly launching the awareness debate. Zumbühl: "It's not about showing off, but rather about pointedly showing instead of hiding." Although there was criticism in pre-tests that the subjects could be reminiscent of a hospital situation, Zumbühl is convinced that Schmid has succeeded in conveying the message clearly with his almost monochrome styling and reduction. "For me, the white clothing against a white background is associated with the hope that disabled people will be socially and civically equal in the near future," says Schmid.
Pro Infirmis did not avoid the question of whether disabled children resemble their parents. On the contrary, the pictures themselves want to provide an answer to this question and thus promote integration. In conjunction with the slogan - "We will not be hindered" - the campaign makes it clear that disability is not only manifested in the physical or mental handicaps of those affected, but also often in the minds of non-disabled people.
The media hype surrounding the Pro Infirmis image campaign launched in December 2000 was inevitable. At the time, the Erlenbach agency Metzger Lehner Briccola (now MetzgerLehner Worldwide) offended some viewers with a bold and courageous testimonial.
Aware of the conflicting goals, Pro Infirmis had the advertisers develop a pure image campaign rather than a fundraising campaign. For the first time, disability was not made visible through accessories and no one was shown in a wheelchair or with a cane.
Whereas previously pitiable, basket-weaving disabled children or helplessly house-keeping frail people were depicted, now it was self-confident disabled people. They did not want to arouse pity, but to present themselves to the public as personalities with a handicap. A player's agent, a student, an actor or a Down syndrome couple kissing put themselves on display in a relaxed manner. The claim made it clear in the tone of a battle cry: "We will not be hindered."
The sequel - not a sequel to the first campaign
This provocative slogan is the only component that has been seamlessly incorporated into the new campaign. Otherwise, freelance creative consultant Alfredo Briccola, who teamed up with his former business partner Marco Lehner for the new campaign, "didn't just want to produce a sequel to the first campaign with the self-confident people. I wanted to clearly expand the idea." And this despite the fact that Mark Zumbühl, Head of Communications and Fundraising at Pro Infirmis, was satisfied that the three main objectives had been achieved in the evaluation of the first campaign. The image of the serious and reliable organization was credibly supplemented with the attribute "modern". The significance of this development becomes clear when you realize that the importance of legacy and bequest business for aid organizations has risen sharply. Trust must therefore be won in the long term through transparency, image and continuity.
Thanks to the unusual first campaign, the Pro Infirmis Foundation experienced a marked increase in awareness and was thus able to defend its slice of the pie in the fiercely competitive fundraising market. This rose to a total of around one billion Swiss francs in 2001 and, according to experts, has thus exhausted its potential in Switzerland.
However, the number of organizations that want to share in this donation amount has grown considerably. However, Pro Infirmis also managed to collect around 26.5 million francs in donations last year, even though "our poster campaign was not a fundraising campaign".
Zumbühl's third important marketing objective is to "anchor new images of disabled people in people's minds". The seven new subjects, again taken free of charge by renowned fashion photographer Hannes Schmid, should also succeed in doing this. After all, in addition to the core business - social counseling for people with disabilities - the advertising budget of 200,000 francs is also intended to give the public an understanding of aspects such as independence and personal responsibility for the disabled. However, Zumbühl believes that the antiquated images of these people must first be thrown overboard. And that is exactly what he wants to achieve: by showing non-disabled people the "normality" of disability. Depending on the definition of disability, statistics also assume that one in eight people live with a disability.
The more provocative, the more credible the statements
Nevertheless, carefully casting and informing these people was back-breaking work - not because there was a lack of willingness, but "because we were looking for protagonists who could actually convey a message," says Zumbühl, alluding to the typical problem of non-profit organizations. Despite 1400 poster sites, Pro Infirmis relies on the multiplier effect of accompanying PR and media work to compensate for the modest budget.
As a result, the parents and young children appearing had to accept that they would become public figures to a certain extent. This is precisely where the new campaign differs from the old one, in which the adults depicted were able to protect their own integrity. In the new one, however, children are indirectly launching the awareness debate. Zumbühl: "It's not about showing off, but rather about pointedly showing instead of hiding." Although there was criticism in pre-tests that the subjects could be reminiscent of a hospital situation, Zumbühl is convinced that Schmid has succeeded in conveying the message clearly with his almost monochrome styling and reduction. "For me, the white clothing against a white background is associated with the hope that disabled people will be socially and civically equal in the near future," says Schmid.
Pro Infirmis did not avoid the question of whether disabled children resemble their parents. On the contrary, the pictures themselves want to provide an answer to this question and thus promote integration. In conjunction with the slogan - "We will not be hindered" - the campaign makes it clear that disability is not only manifested in the physical or mental handicaps of those affected, but also often in the minds of non-disabled people.
