Canadian Red Cross: Becoming Top-of-Mind with Millennials

Canadian Red Cross

Unified Marketing & Communications

Young Canadians may be familiar with the Red Cross name, but what about the work the organization does in Canada? Our challenge: to raise the profile of the Canadian Red Cross among millennials by making the connection between their support and the difference it can make in communities close to home.

Where Did We Start?

The Canadian Red Cross came to us on a mission to reach Canadian millennials. The humanitarian organization is well-known for the important disaster response work it does around the world, and it also helps people in communities across Canada in emergency situations ranging from floods and fires to power outages and more.

What Opportunities Did We Identify?

Our research told us that when it comes to not-for-profit organizations, millennials want to see a direct link between their support and real change. It also told us that they knew about major disaster relief efforts the Red Cross had undertaken in Haiti and Fort McMurray, but they didn’t know much more than that.

We saw an opportunity to highlight the fact that the Canadian Red Cross responds to emergency situations in Canada every three hours, and that local volunteers are the ones who make this possible. Many of these volunteers are millennials who had become inspired to get involved after receiving help from the Red Cross in the past.

What Was the Solution?

We invited Canadian millennials to become part of a “new type of social network” where connecting can save lives. Through impactful videos and images on Facebook and Instagram, we told real stories about how the Canadian Red Cross is more than just a charity–it’s a connector that helps people in crisis in communities across Canada, though volunteers just like our target audience. We also engaged influencers to help spread the message by telling their own stories about how the Canadian Red Cross had touched their lives.

How Did We Do?

Our ‘Be Part of the Equation’ campaign reached over three million young Canadians and resulted in over 13 thousand engagements through the Canadian Red Cross social and influencer channels. It also established a benchmark for the Canadian Red Cross as the humanitarian organization of choice. So when the day comes for young Canadians to donate their time or money to a worthy cause, the Canadian Red Cross will be top of mind because they saw real examples of how their support could make a difference.