Why is this work relevant for PR?

The Wish Effect campaign was conceptualised as part of a two year-long PR-led integrated communications programme that drives understanding and relevance of Make-A-Wish Singapore’s wish granting efforts, by persuading the general public that wishes can make a profound and lasting impact to children with critical illnesses, their families and their communities. Our main objective for the first year with the launch of the campaign is to convince the general public of the powerful and lasting multiplier effect of wishes or, The Wish Effect, which uplifts and transforms the lives of every eligible child, their families and the wider community.

Background

Our preliminary survey found that while the majority of respondents indicate that they are likely to refer a child with a critical illness to Make-A-Wish Singapore, they do not fully understand what the organisation does, evident in various misperceptions cited when asked about the organisation’s beneficiaries and cause. In addition, a significant portion is skeptical about the benefits of a wish to children. This disconnect is crucial, as misperceptions of the brand and skepticism of the power of wishes are barriers to referral of eligible children to the organisation. At first glance, a wish could appear insignificant but in reality, wishes are profoundly powerful, and their impact immediate, lasting and widespread. As the only wish granting charity organisation for children with critical illnesses, Make-A-Wish Singapore developed an integrated campaign to address these misperceptions by proving that wishes make a lasting impact to wish children and their communities.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Targeting the general public and the community around children with critical illnesses (parents, doctors and nurses), we used the power of storytelling to help change the perceptions of what Make-A-Wish does and how effective and widespread the impact of a wish actually is. We created a powerful symbol of hope and the multiplier effect of a wish, or The Wish Effect, in the form of a dandelion – a wishing flower for hope and positivity. We created two hero assets – an animated video and illustrated storybook that were both entertainment and educational tools. The Wish Effect was designed to let members of the public learn more about the powerful and lasting impact of wishes by bringing the stories to life through many creative forms. The heartwarming tone of the campaign and our assets were aimed at tugging at the heartstrings of the general public.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

The campaign was brought to life in 2020 through a series of activations optimised to address the insights that were discovered in the pre-campaign survey and deliver Make-A-Wish’s objectives, while staying sensitive to the COVID-19 climate. To lead the conversation, we developed the ‘One Tiny Wish’ storybook and video, inspired by the true story of one of the organisation’s wish children. In addition to raising awareness about the transformational power of wishes, we also distributed the storybooks to public libraries and hospitals as a tool for medical professionals and social workers to inspire children with critical illnesses. To better connect with our target audience and to engage with media and influencers, we also developed a custom Instagram filter - The Wish Effect, in the form of a randomised wish generator inspired by real wishes of wish children. Curated wish kits containing campaign assets were also shared with media and influencers.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

We targeted general dailies for broad awareness as well as parenting, lifestyle media and influencers for their direct outreach to parents and identified Children’s Day (2 October) as a media hook. We began our outreach 2 weeks before Children’s Day to secure media and influencers’ interest to receive our wish kits and learn more about our campaign. We secured interviews across print, online and broadcast publications and pro-bono support (from influencers) throughout the campaign. In terms of proactive pitching, spokespersons from Make-A-Wish Singapore, wish granters, volunteers and wish children, including the wish child whose story inspired our storybook, all played a part in delivering the campaign message on the lasting impact of wishes on the wider community, showcasing the multiplier effect of wishes on the wider community. The campaign was Singapore focused and ran for a period of 1 month.

List the results (30% of vote)

Through earned media, we secured 40 pieces of coverage in the span 3 months, resulting in 6,401,155 impressions. A total of 40 influencers shared about the campaign on a pro-bono basis, resulting in 160 pieces of social coverage on Instagram and a further 1,214,164 impressions. Our storybook was praised by media, influencers and the public and also accepted and placed in public libraries in Singapore. Our videos on Make-A-Wish’s YouTube channel garnered more than 300,000 combined views on the platform and counting. Across our owned platforms, we reached over 205,000 unique people across FB and IG, registered an impressive 284,685 engagements and drove over 883,355 video views (One Tiny Wish videos, compilation video of influencer content) across Facebook and Instagram, 135 link clicks to The Wish Effect landing page and achieved 36% video view rate (above the industry benchmark rate of 30%). Our IG filter was also very well-received amongst the public with more than 12,000 filter opens, 7,000 captures and 670 shares.