Why is this work relevant for PR?

Driving relevancy, awareness, education and credibility is key for any innovative launch. This reigned especially true for Donation Dollar’s launch amidst the Covid-19 pandemic; a time when citizens were unsure it was safe to handle coins, and Australia had entered its first recession in three decades, resulting in a surge of Australians doing it tough. To navigate these complexities, PR was identified as lead channel to launch Donation Dollar, due to its strengths in crafting agile narratives around a turbulent news agenda, reaching mass audiences through credible third party publishers, and leveraging KOL relationships to influence understanding and drive trust.

Background

The digital revolution has changed currency forever. Unfortunately, carrying less coins in our pockets has unintended consequences. In Australia, many of our charities rely on coin donations, as do the most disadvantaged among us. With recent devastating events (like the Australian bushfire crisis, the pandemic, and Australian recession) creating more vulnerable communities, if ever there was a time of need, that time is now. As a society, we needed to reconsider how using the coins we do have could help those who benefit from them most. A creative solution to this problem was presented by our agency partner. However, it became clear early on that PR as a channel would require a significant and leading role in ascertaining relevancy, mass awareness, education and credibility for such a unique and world-first proposition. That is, to ensure Australians would rightfully engage with the proposed solution, in order to drive true social impact.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Donation Dollar – an Australian one dollar coin, redesigned with a unique call-to-action. It’s the world’s first coin designed to be given to those in need, not spent, when received in Australians change. Being an official circulating coin from The Royal Australian Mint, its cycle is ongoing, enabling it to act as a daily reminder or prompt to give, not only in times of crisis, but all year round. And with 25 million coins being minted – that’s one for every Australian – each exists in its own generosity loop that lasts generations. Importantly, the coin is “charity agnostic” meaning receivers decide by which charitable means their Donation Dollar will have the most impact. This potential for positive impact is also represented in the coin’s colour and interactive design – both being Australian first features. The green centre wears down the more the coin is donated, revealing golden ripples emanating

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

Daily updates around COVID-19’s impact and the looming national recession meant Donation Dollar’s launch required sufficient justification, to ensure its giving nature would be received positively by media and everyday Australians, during a time when they were feeling significant financial strain. To mitigate potential negative backlash, our PR strategy therefore needed to centre on relevancy. Local research into attitudes and behaviours tied to charitable giving uncovered a PR insight: Despite one-in-five Australians saying they’d likely require some degree of charitable aid in the upcoming 12 months, 50% were still willing to give to charity, believing it to be “more important than ever in the current climate.” This justified Donation Dollar’s role, but also created a link to its key message – a tangible way for Australians to give back to those in need - not just in times of crisis, but all year round, in smaller amounts, more often.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

We chose International Day of Charity (5th September) as our timely launch date. To maximise awareness, a carefully constructed announcement plan was rolled-out, to ensure press would be the spark to ignite a national conversation around Donation Dollar. We targeted and secured a first-run exclusive segment with Australia’s highest reaching breakfast TV show, and hosted a press conference in Canberra (Australia’s capital, offering easy access for the national press gallery) the morning of launch, also made virtually accessible. A bank of assets, including B-roll, imagery and audio commentary were also pre-prepared to meet the needs of print, online, and broadcast mediums. Philanthropic celebrity advocates were also harnessed, participating in editorial interviews, and sharing digestible social posts, educating audiences on the coin mechanic. Our hero advocate Tim Costello, former CEO of World Vision Australia, offered a credible and trustworthy endorsement, ensuring the support of 50,000+ charities, and members of Australian parliament.

List the results (30% of vote)

The impact of Donation Dollar in Australia is real and ongoing; 25 million coins will circulate in and out of Australia’s change, over and over again for more than 30 years. If every Australian donated just one Donation Dollar each month, this singular ongoing loop of generosity will raise an additional $300 million for charity each year, and $9 billion over the coin’s 30 year life cycle. Donation Dollar was covered extensively across the Australian media landscape, as our most successful pro bono PR campaign to-date: • 1,171 pieces of coverage across ALL national TV channels • Top 3 trending story on ABC Online (Australia’s No.1 news site) • Covered in ALL major Australian online news titles • Organic editorial pickup in 6 international markets, including The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Daily Mail, Business Insider & Fast Company • 99.9% positive sentiment – a true feat, again considering we launched during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the public were nervous around handling coins, and the Australian recession meant we were relying on the generosity of Australians who were already doing it tough • 269+ million in earned reach • 88.9%+ Australian public reached • With $0 paid media support As a result of PR’s efforts to drive relevancy, awareness, education and credibility, 53% of Donation Dollars found in the first 2 months were donated to charity, with social commentators and community members across international markets calling for Donation Dollar to be rolled out and implemented the world over.