John Doe Communications identified the diary as a great expression of teenage conflict, be it political, social or emotional. It created the 'Dear Diary' campaign to show the difference between conflict among UK teenagers and Kenyan teenagers.
Really clever integrated campaign targeted to a specific audience bridging gaps and increasing empathyFiona Hall, European managing director, Chandler Chicco Companies |
Events and influential ambassadors from popular culture were used to engage young people. A three-month campaign started with the creation of 250 journals containing contributions from Kenyan teenagers as well as celebrities and diarists including Alexa Chung, Anais Nin, Courtney Love and Jameela Jamil. All proceeds were donated to the Kenya campaign.
John Doe collaborated with Cringe, a popular New York event at which fashionistas read excerpts of their teenage diaries to an audience. It put on an exhibition and VIP performance night at Hoxton Hall attended by diary readers and celebrities such as Chung and Henry Holland. Celebrities read extracts from the journals and UK Cringe fans read from teenage diaries to highlight the contrast in conflict.
The decision to take over Covent Garden gallery Super Superficial to create a two-week CAS-branded exhibition provided further exposure. It hosted handwritten diary extracts from Kenyan teenagers, as well as Kurt Cobain and Sylvia Plath.
The campaign achieved 117 pieces of coverage across print, broadcast and online media. This included The Guardian, the Daily Mirror, The Big Issue, BBC Radio 6 Music, Heat, NME and GQ. Teen-focused media such as Mizz, Teen Riot, Teenfi and Cosmopolitan also covered the campaign.
About 10,000 new members joined the CAS community, 330 per cent more than the charity's initial target. During this period, the number of visitors to the CAS website increased by 220 per cent and the collaborative Cringe event sold out in 24 hours.
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