The Brief

In October 2013, fierce bushfires ravaged Australia. In the Blue Mountains alone, thousands of people were evacuated and over 200 homes were reduced to ash. As always, in the aftermath of these tragedies, the Australian Red Cross played an active part in supporting those in-need. But they in turn needed the public’s help. Our objective was twofold - to raise awareness of this natural disaster in an effective way and to help Red Cross raise much-needed funds for relief of the victims

Creative Execution

At its core, ‘Embers of Empathy’ was a simple idea. It took the charred remnants from the bushfires and used them to raise funds and create mass awareness of the victims’ plight. By using prominent Australian artists we delivered a story Australians are overly familiar with, in a new and highly emotive way. It symbolized just what the Red Cross does - provide hope and help in the midst of heartache, to Australians who need it most.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

We collected the charred remnants from people’s properties and homes and gave them to Australia’s leading artists. Their brief was simple - use the charred fragments to create art for the benefit of the victims. Turning symbols of tragedy into instruments of hope. The profile of the artists and their process drew national media attention. The artworks were ultimately auctioned off to an invite-only high-end audience. All proceeds went directly to Red Cross’ relief of the victims.

Results

With zero media dollars and in less than 2 months the campaign raised $69, 000 for the Red Cross’ Disaster Relief efforts. It spread the news of the bushfires and rose awareness of Red Cross activity to over 13, 218 000 Australians. The campaign also earned over $149,782 worth of free editorial coverage. And ultimately, identified Red Cross as an organization through which anyone can help those affected by a natural disaster.