MAXI Awards Highlights
Merkle
for Feeding America
Charlie Cadigan: "Given how wonderful everyone looks tonight, it's obvious that you all spent some time pondering what to wear to this special occasion. Some of life's choices are not quite so easy. Imagine the painful dilemma of a parent who is forced by the cruelest of circumstances to decide which child doesn't get fed today. This winning package for Feeding America posed the strong emotional hook and the engaging device of a scratch-off insert asking potential donors to choose which kid goes hungry. This compelling combination encouraged donors to give a gift so no child went hungry. It worked and inspired a 65 percent increase in the number of gifts received over the control."
DIRECT MAIL: NONPROFIT MAJOR DONORS
Lautman Maska Neill & Co.
for Accion
PF: "Our sense of touch is a powerful tool in our lives. Just our fingertips alone can send a cascade of stimuli into our brain and capture our attention. So when a mail package delivers a truly tactile experience, the results can be sensational. This high-touch campaign included a four-color photograph of a beneficiary, attached to a lift note, coupled with a four-page letter, and an inspiring story about a Brazilian man lifted from poverty by a small loan. The strong emotional appeal on behalf of ACCION and the right choice of intriguing components proved a winning combination — with a response rate of 14.8 percent and an average gift of $2,749."
Chapman Cubine Adams + Hussey
for The Wilderness Society
CC: "Author and illustrator Maurice Sendak is a household name because of his children's classic 'Where the Wild Things Are.' With 6,000 acres of open space disappearing every day, the client for this winning entry is committed to protecting Mother Nature's splendor. And it takes a lot of money to battle the drilling, mining and timber industries. To rally big donors to their cause, The Wilderness Society had a high-touch membership card renewal package created for them and combined it with a sense of urgency. The results were phenomenal. The average gift was more than $1,800, and it cost only 7 cents to raise a dollar among their elite members."
