Two international development charities have signed PR agencies in a bid to keep overseas development on the media agenda in 2011.
As major aid charities such as Oxfam and the British Red Cross gear up to be the focus for donations over the Christmas period, lesser-known charities Practical Action and Global Ethics have enlisted support to help them gain cut-through next year.
Practical Action has appointed Band & Brown Communications to help it reach new audiences via an online video campaign.
Practical Action head of comms Rob Cartridge said: 'This campaign will not only help raise awareness of Practical Action as an organisation, but also of the values that make us stand out from other charities in this field - working with the people of the developing world to enable them to lift themselves out of poverty.'
Band & Brown Communications managing partner Simon Francis added: 'We are looking forward to widening consumer awareness of Practical Action and delivering more supporters for them.'
The agency was recruited following a three-way pitch to raise the charity's profile, which remains little-known despite four decades of working to alleviate poverty.
The online video will form the hub of the three-month campaign, which will also include offand online PR, social media and a microsite.
Meanwhile, Global Ethics has appointed PrettyGreen as its consumer agency to help it promote the not-for-profit One brand.
The One brand funds like-for-like projects in Africa, such as selling bottled water to raise money for water projects. PrettyGreen is charged with relaunching One products following an upcoming rebrand.
