Salvation Army begins Simple Dreams campaign
By Adnews Staff
The Salvation Army has begun an awareness campaign called "Simple Dreams." The campaign, developed by Grey Canada of Toronto, includes television, outdoor and radio advertising as well as a street promotion. It is intended to increase public awareness of the number of Canadians living in poverty. The TV campaign consists of a 30-second animated commercial in which a young girl dreams of essential things like hot food, clean clothing and a place to sleep. This is supported by three 30-second radio commercials in English and French. National transit shelter advertising features the organization's red kettle. The creative is intended to illustrate how donations are used by removing the letters "less" from the word "homeless" or the letters "under" from the word "underfed." The street promotion takes the form of a vending machine located at the Centre for Creative Communications at Centennial College. The machine is stocked with moldy, rotten and half-eaten food. Consumers can use the coin slot to donate to the organization. "We want to encourage all Canadians to dream of a world where everyone has access to life's basic needs," said Graham Moore, territorial secretary for public relations and development at The Salvation Army. "We hope this campaign will demonstrate to the donating public that no amount is too small and that every gift makes a big difference in the life of a person in need."