Strike a Match

In order to get that message across, KHP sat down with its agency partner, Stephen Thomas Ltd., in 2009 to come up with a concept that would convey how important KHP’s work is, particularly this time of year. How could KHP break through the clutter at year-end with a hard-hitting, motivating message, stressing that thousands of Canadian children need help, particularly during the holiday season?

After plenty of deliberation, KHP and Stephen Thomas developed the idea to “Buy a Kid Some Time.” The concept was to highlight how donations help support the organization by paying hotline staffers to be on hand to take calls, hence buying a kid some time to talk, to chat and to have a chance at a happy holiday.

“The campaign really pivots around the holidays from a child’s perspective,” says Taslim Somani, vice president of marketing strategy at Stephen Thomas. “During the holidays it became really apparent that they’re not very happy times for a lot of kids … especially for kids from troubled homes, victims of abuse, financial difficulty, those struggling in school and with bullying.

“The holidays and Christmas should be a happy time, but lots of kids are in a lot of trouble and need Kids Help Phone more than ever. We strongly believed if we told that story it’d be something that would resonate with parents, teachers, grandparents and that people would be thrilled to help Kids Help Phone help any kid in need anytime. They’re not far removed — it could be their child, their niece or nephew, their grandchild, their student. That was the big idea of the campaign.”

The launch
At the beginning of November 2009, KHP rolled out its inaugural Buy a Kid Some Time campaign. It was both a way to engage its annual donors and to bring on KHP’s event donors as annual givers with another opportunity to donate.