We used non-paid for channels (PR/social media/influencers to drive traffic) to get word out. iHobo, an iPhone app, was a rich and engaging gaming experience that asked users to look after a virtual homeless person on their phone for 3 days. Not only did iHobo force our target audience to stop ignoring youth homelessness, but it also enlisted their support to help deal with the problem by inviting them to make an instant donation and join the Depaul UK supporter database. As this was the first app of its kind it was hard to project response rates. Given the performance of previous Depaul UK campaigns the base target was to attract more than 50 new supporters.

Depaul UK is a charity that helps young people who are homeless, vulnerable, and disadvantaged. Like most charities Depaul UK relies on voluntary donations. But with an ageing donor base (average age 65+) Depaul UK needed to find a way to connect with a younger audience in order to ensure a solid source of funding for the future. Previous campaigns had tried to achieve this, but with a limited media budget recruiting new donors was proving difficult, typically attracting 50 or so new supporters each year. Anything that could attract more young, affluent supporters would have represented success.

April 2011 updates make the app even more engaging: player personalisation, integrating facts on homelessness, connection to social media sites, utilising the app to expand the Depaul UK database for ongoing activity, and new gaming elements.Results so far for v. 1.1:•600,000+ downloads. No 1 weekly downloaded app in UK.•68,298 reviews on app store.•Engagement value in conventional digital channels: £2.3million. •7 times more money raised through in-game donations. •4,600 donors (93x more than previously)•1,200 new Depaul UK database contacts. Potential lifetime donation value of £1.76m (ROI of up to 294:1).

Using live action footage (an iPhone first) and Apple’s new push-alert technology we forced our audience to think about the issue of homelessness around the clock, and take responsibility for the fate of a young guy on the street. There’s a powerful but depressing truth that the iHobo app throws up - it’s easier to ignore a homeless person on the street than it is to ignore your phone. But once you’ve been woken by a text cry for help in the middle of the night, it’s harder to not feel responsible for young people on the streets, and it’s harder not to donate to Depaul UK.