Readers should note that this compilation is not based on reach, engagement or even impact; these are simply the campaigns that launched this year and struck a chord with us.
Me. Him. Us
The key message, that sexually active gay and bisexual men should get tested for HIV at least once a year, is one with the potential to save lives. It's also a great example of a campaign team that understands its audience.
Men, We Are With You
You had us at "what a piece of work is man", with this awareness campaign from Prostate Cancer UK.
The campaign film follows the birth, childhood and life of men and is overlaid with Zoe Wanmaker’s narration of Hamlet’s famous speech exploring notions of masculinity, together with a powerful message and call to action at the end.
Highly shareable content, in our opinion. If only all campaigns channelled Shakespeare.
World Sepsis Day
This snap campaign for the UK Sepsis Trust justly appropriates a cultural reference to the film 'The Usual Suspects' with its billboard line-up of deadly diseases, and the surprising fact that sepsis kills more people in the UK each year than bowel, breast and prostate cancer combined.
The pro bono campaign was devised and executed in just two weeks after WPP staff were inspired by watching a film documenting how one family's life was thrown into turmoil by sepsis.
Extend The Limit
Couching its call to action in terms of human rights, campaigners conveyed the key messages that the existing law is outdated, arbitrary and unscientific. They plan to continue demanding change until new legislation is passed.
Every Mind Matters
Achieving good mental health, or managing mental ill-health, has slowly risen up the public agenda in recent years as people increasingly understand the link between physical and mental wellbeing.
It was good to see Public Health England respond to the need for better information with a high-profile campaign, which worked so well during its launch phase that the dedicated microsite temporarily went down under the weight of demand. How's that for highlighting an unmet need in the population?
Meet Emma
Our final pick is a glimpse of the office worker of the future, with hunched back, swollen arms and cracked skin – if we’re not more careful about how we work.
The campaign, on behalf of office furniture supplier Fellowes, had echoes of earlier work and was certainly not everyone’s cup of tea.
However, it achieved widespread coverage in mainstream media outlets – 'Emma' even had a shuffle-on part on ITV's Jonathan Ross Show.
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