The Red Cross needed to raise money for its main causes this Christmas. We came up with an idea that could change the way people donate. Two factors played a great role in this: it is during the Christmas Season that people buy more and feel more compassionate. And a Store that sells Hope was born. Nothing you can touch, see, wear or hear. But feel.

We built an actual retail store in one of the most popular malls in Lisbon. A Store like any other, with hangers, windows, fitting rooms, salespeople, bags-- but with one difference: people left with their hands empty but with their hearts full. This idea was communicated across several channels, from radio to features on the Internet and print. Some of the best known celebrities were sponsors and a massive public relations campaign was developed during the course of the Store. First we generated interest and later on TV, newscasts, radio interviews, magazine features, and newspaper articles-- to sustain the momentum.

The Store exceeded all expectations, reaching the Mall’s top 10 in sales in the first day. And there are now solid plans to open new ones wherever there’s a Red Cross – All selling Hope.

The PR campaign identified three major targets: opinion makers, people who shop more during the Christmas Season and those who donate to causes such as the Red Cross.

To the first group we structured a plan where the sponsor would go on the Radio, TV and print articles and talk about the Store. Simultaneously, through carefully designed materials, we targeted shoppers with a campaign to visit the Store. And to those who donate regularly we used both the Internet and print to gather volunteers, potential buyers and to spread the word. Hope would quickly become a valuable and desired product.

After the tone of the campaign was decided during the planning stage we set out to chart each medium and target according to the schedule of the Store.

The schedule can be divided in three parts: the informative and teaser stage, the opening stage during the firs two weeks and the final stage that lasted up until the last day of the Store. This was carried out with specific channels suited for each stage. The Internet, radio features, interviews from celebrity sponsors were used to spread the idea of a Store that sells Hope.

The best part of it all is that the message did spread faster than our wildest expectations. With all channels working to keep Hope a best seller during Christmas, the PR campaign showed to be a success indeed.

The objective was to have people donate to the Red Cross in a way that had never been done before. A Store that sells Hope had the potential to do just that. And to make sure the public understood they would leave the store with empty hands but with the heart full, the PR campaign was vital. It forever changed the way people saw the act of donating.

The results indicated it was the perfect idea for the current world we live in. Reaching the mall’s Top 10 in sales in the first day. Increasing the number of volunteers, and the number of people who had never donated before. It also brought other companies to partner with the Red Cross. And the most promising result of this idea is to know that there are plans to open new stores in other places. All of them selling Hope. Lots of it.

The Christmas Season is the most important time for any retailer, a time when people buy more than ever. We concentrated all of our efforts to dramatically increase demand for Hope, starting in early November - with the peak of the campaign on the two weeks prior to Christmas Eve and a major effort on the actual Christmas Eve. Since we were aiming for different targets, we designed a plan in a way it would reach all channels gradually at first and simultaneously once the Store was opened. The tone of the campaign was aimed to be genuine, with just the perfect balance of the emotional side and the realities facing the causes supported by the Red Cross. The PR campaign also was planned in a way to maximize the number of media partners to unveil the Store’s idea of selling Hope and sustain momentum up until the very last day.

At a time when the world has the biggest demand for Hope, this PR campaign fell into place perfectly. The biggest challenge was to communicate in a clear and emotional way, a product that can only be felt. It had to sound as genuine as the intentions behind the idea. Hope became the biggest selling point. The PR campaign was able to reconnect people with the act of donating once. Through carefully placed ads, interviews and more importantly, the constant feed of information in all channels the Red Cross Store soon had people lining up to see it first hand.