The target ROI of 0.30 combined with tough subject matter demanded something attention grabbing.A plain black DVD case was sent to our audience with a headline raising the awful possibility that inside might be footage of a father filming himself abusing his daughter.Of course, there is no film inside the case. Instead our audience finds the DVD is missing along with a message that both the film and the abusive father are now with the police, thanks to the work of the NSPCC’s ChildLine service. A final message then stresses that further donations are required.

Even though 20,000 child sex offences are reported each year, 95% of offences are never reported. That’s why ChildLine and the NSPCC are so important. We wanted to raise awareness and funds – ChildLine costs £17m a year to run.

A mail pack was developed to target new supporters and active charity donors – primarily, mums familiar with ChildLine. We wanted them to know children in danger have somewhere to turn to because of them. When it comes to sexual abuse, it’s easy to feel helpless. Our strategy was to dramatise the problem using true stories of terrible abuse.

Because of the unsettling nature of the subject matter and the uncompromising execution of the DVD box, the campaign created controversy, appearing on both the BBC’s national news, and bbc.co.uk, gaining a lot of attention.But the campaign did more than generate attention. It generated real action, with the average donation being a terrific £27.

The work of ChildLine and the NSPCC is far-reaching –listening to children, alerting authorities and providing counselling, for example. The campaign reflects that. It’s an uncomfortable truth that these kinds of acts go on, so we’re addressing something very real.The creative delivers the message without compromise, taking the reader out of their comfort zone –highly unusual for a DM piece. But it ends on a note of positivity, and makes the reader feel that they’re part of the solution. That’s something the brand needs to develop if it’s to thrive in a competitive charitable market.