Digital advertising for a good cause: how we offered support during COVID-19
When the COVID-19 pandemic increased rapidly in the United States, our team at M&C Saatchi Performance quickly realized that a strong sense of community and company culture would be vital in order to stay positive throughout challenging days ahead.
In an effort to help the community, we partnered up with a talented network of publishers and suppliers, to put together a pro-bono campaign for Direct Relief and their fantastic mission.
Direct Relief is a non-profit disaster relief organization currently helping fight Covid-19 by distributing medical supplies and personal protective equipment to doctors and nurses active on the front lines.
To increase brand exposure of Direct Relief as well as drive acquisition via website donations across the US, our team worked with media platforms Buzzfeed and Reddit and technology platforms Storygize, Ninthdecimal and Adtheorent to launch a full funnel ad campaign during April and May 2020.
Creatives were designed to reflect a notion of hope and inspire action including diverse formats with native ads and promoted posts showcasing a more editorial feel alongside traditional banner ads across mobile web and desktop inventory.
Initially, the targeting was broad with the knowledge that Covid-19 donations are coming from all genders, ages, ethnicities, and geographies across the US. As time passed, our team at M&C Saatchi Performance worked with suppliers to identify real time optimizations and zero in on the best converting audiences.
As a result, the paid media campaign drove over 18.5 million impressions with a combined 514 view-through and click through donations and a $404 average revenue per donation.
‘We’re incredibly proud of the pro-bono work done to support the Direct Relief non-profit organization during Covid-19. As a digital advertising agency, we realized there is only so much we could do compared to other front liners. Partnering-up with publishers and networks across the US, we utilized marketing performance to gather donations for medical supplies and personal protective equipment for doctors and nurses. While we acknowledge that the fight against the pandemic isn’t over yet, we hope that our team will be of inspiration for others.’
Bridget Hall, Director, Planning at M&C Saatchi Performance
