Unicef Foundation: "GOOD SHIRTS [video]" Direct marketing by Bbh New York

Type of entry: Use of Direct Marketing
Category: Ambient Media & Print Collateral, Non-Mail (Small Scale)
Advertiser: UNICEF
Product/Service: UNICEF
Agency: BBH NEW YORK, USA
Advertiser UNICEF
Product UNICEF
Entrant BBH NEW YORK, USA
Type of Entry: Use of Direct Marketing
Category: Ambient Media & Print Collateral, Non-Mail (Small Scale)
Title: GOOD SHIRTS
Advertiser/Client: UNICEF
Product/Service: UNICEF
Entrant Company: BBH NEW YORK, USA
DM/Advertising Agency: BBH NEW YORK, USA
Chief Creative Officer: John Patroulis (BBH New York)
Executive Creative Director: Ari Weiss (BBH New York)
Artist: Christine Gignac ()
Artist: Justin Gignac ()
Art Director: Dave Brown (BBH New York)
Copywriter: Ian Hart (BBH New York)
Strategist: Katie Harrison (BBH New York)
Strategist: Griffin Farely (BBH New York)
Strategist: Ambika Gautam (BBH New York)
Account Director: Kath Horton (BBH New York)
Marketing: Desma Deitz (US Fund For Unicef)
Marketing: Kelli Peterson (US Fund For Unicef)
Chief Marketing Officer: Cam Balzer (Threadless)
Partnership Manager: Dustin Henderlong (Threadless)
Describe the brief from the client
In July 2011, the United States Fund for UNICEF raised a cry for help to send aid to more than 2m children whose lives were at risk from starvation in the Horn of Africa. The crisis suffered from a distinct lack of awareness. With more than 6 children succumbing to starvation every hour, there was virtually no media coverage whatsoever. Our task was thus 2-fold: we desperately needed to raise money from both prior and new UNICEF donors while simultaneously raising awareness of the ongoing crisis.

Creative Execution

Raising awareness of the (all but ignored) crisis was of equal, if not greater, importance to raising money for the crisis itself. To this end, each Good Shirt transformed its donor into a walking billboard for the cause. Beyond that, the T-shirts provided a much-needed incentive to donate. While people are generally altruistic, giving them a badge for being altruistic doesn't hurt. Good Shirts literally let people wear their donation as a source of pride and as a means to spread the word. If friends get a little competitive over who's being more altruistic, all the better.


Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

Our solution was Good Shirts: a clothing line developed with artists Christine & Justin Gignac and Threadless.com. We created 12 shirts ranging in price for any budget. On each shirt an aid item was depicted. That shirt then cost the exact price of the aid item. So, if someone donated $24.30 they received a shirt with a measles vaccine. And if someone donated $300,000 they received a T-shirt with a cargo flight. Children in the Horn of Africa got $354,877 in aid, the crisis got much needed publicity and good people got comfy T-shirts. Win-win-win.


Describe the results in as much detail as possible.

The bottom line is Good Shirts sold. And sold well (consider for a second that someone actually bought a $300,000 cargo flight shirt). By the end of the run, the project had garnered $355,000 for UNICEF with over 2,100 shirts purchased. Equally important, considering the urgency of the crisis, was the speed at which funds were raised, with 90% of profits earned in under 2 months. These rapid sales were due in large part to support from media channels like the Wall Street Journal and Buzzfeed, celebrity tweets and both UNICEF and Threadless.com’s Facebook communities.