The Foundation for Childbirth with Dignity: 'you have a right to ask’ campaign

When it comes to childbirth, women’s rights are often ignored. These powerful posters set out to change that...

 you have a right to decide...

You have a right to ask...

You have a right to act.

This case study appears in these showcases

• Social change campaigns showcase
• Inserts and bounce-backs

• Press advertising ‘off the page’

• Combining campaigning and fundraising showcase

SOFII's view

Medium of communication:

Type of charity:

Target audience:

Country of origin:

Creator/originator:

The Foundation for Childbirth with Dignity with partner organisations: Batory Foundation, advertising agencies Ad Fabrika, FCB, PZL and research company SMG/KRC MillwardBrown.

Name of exhibitor:

Date of first appearance:

Summary/objectives:

Women and patients’ rights are very often violated in Polish maternity wards, especially a patient’s right to respect, dignity and privacy, the right to give consent to treatment or surgical operations and the right to information. The campaign presented this situation to the whole society. It aimed to encourage women to take an active role, to be brave and demand respect of their rights.

Financial objectives:

• To inform Polish society about the Foundation for Childbirth with Dignity, a non-governmental and nonprofit organisation. This status allows people to designate one per cent of their tax to an NGO of their choice.
• To receive the biggest possible amount of one per cent tax designations.

Non financial objectives:

• To focus the attention of society on the issue of violation of women patient’s rights in maternity wards.
• To encourage women to demand respect for their rights.
• To inform the general public about the goals and mission of the Foundation.
• To promote the brand of the Foundation to its target group.

Background:

1. Design of a market research survey to find out about the level of information on pregnancy, giving birth and motherhood.
2. Commissioning a professional research company to carry out the survey.
3. Briefing an advertising agency based on the research results.
4. Working with the agency to prepare creative advertisements: outdoor ads, radio spots, post-cards, one per cent leaflets

Special Characteristics:

Primarily, this was an awareness-raising campaign with fundraising only as a second priority. The Foundation for Childbirth with Dignity used controversial social issues in the campaign, tackled taboo themes, yet it still generated good income.

The Foundation also took a risk by applying a method (one per cent) that is new to Poland. The organisation documented the impact on individual perceptions of the organisation pre- and post-campaign in an excellent way, and both the planning and the creative materials were very good.

Merits:

This campaign shows that you can raise funds on the back of a controversial campaign that challenges social taboos and what’s acceptable in society today.

Other relevant information:

Media mix:

Billboards

• Location – big cities in Poland.
• Number of billboards – 600.
• Duration time: one month, March 2005.

Citylights (posters)

• Location – big cities.
• Number of citylights – 700.
• Duration time : one month, April 2005.

Radio spots

• National radio station – Radio Zet.
• On air: six versions of 15 seconds over three weeks.

Press ads

• Twice in a monthly magazine for parents, April and May 2005

Press inserts

• One per cent leaflet.
• Number of inserts – 100,000.
• Duration time: March 2005.

Postcards (freecards)

• 100,000.

Target groups:

• Women who plan to have babies, pregnant women and their partners who care about the way their baby is coming to the world.
• Citizens of big cites.
• People who understand the role of NGO’s in society, who want to support the idea of civil society e.g., by designating one per dent of their tax to NGOs.

Final Notes:

Adapted from CSDF’s 2006 publication Mission Possible.