Earlier this month, we were proud to launch the NSPCC Little Stars campaign, giving the public a chance to name a light on London’s Oxford Street for someone special in their lives. Lee Isaacs was involved in the campaign so we took the chance to speak to him about the work and hear what it’s like to work for such an important charity.
Thanks for catching up with us today Lee. Please can you tell us a bit about your background and how you found your way into the industry?
I’ve been part of the OMD UK family now for over four years and have worked across PepsiCo, Go Ahead Group, Bacardi and NSPCC. I started my first ‘adult job’ as a grad on the OMD grad scheme after graduating from university in Graphic Arts & Design and am now a Communications Planner Manager.
Creativity is my passion (hence my degree!) and I’m lucky enough to be part of the OMD Brainstorm Champion team too which has given me the opportunity to get involved in the diverse brands that OMD has to offer.
We hear you’ve been really involved in the incredibly exciting NSPCC Little Stars campaign. How did the idea come about and can you explain what it involves?
I have to say that this is the probably the best campaign I’ve ever worked on so I’m very proud and excited to tell you all about it!
Let’s start with the task set to us by the NSPCC. We needed to go above and beyond TV to grow the successful Alfie brand response campaign, which saw a little boy who was free to dream of becoming an astronaut with the help and support of the NSPCC – ‘Your donation can take a child anywhere’.
We started with a good old OMD brainstorm and one idea stuck out for us. The idea had the opportunity for a completely integrated, cross media and cross department campaign which was able to tell NSPCC’s story as well as fundraise at an important time of year.
The crux of the idea was to sponsor the Christmas Lights Switch-On in London’s Oxford Street, where people will be able to donate £5 to name a Little Star for someone special in their life. In doing so, they will help the NSPCC in its mission to fight for every childhood and keep more children safe – ‘a child free from abuse is free to dream at Christmas’.
We have a hefty 11 week Metro and Mail Online partnership which kicked off with a Wayne Rooney exclusive interview on the front page of the Metro – a media first! They’ll be supporting us with display ads, in-depth editorial content with celebrity ambassador support, branded content and a very exciting edition coming soon which will all be directing people to buy the Little Stars online.
Facebook activity will help drive the purchases whilst OOH activity will create buzz around London & Oxford Street in the lead up to the big switch-on.
It’s amazing to see how involved and dedicated media owners have been to help out with our cause and cheesy enough as it sounds, we are all really grateful for their involvement to shape this one-of-a-kind campaign.
The switch-on of the lights on 6th November will be the big moment for the campaign, where not only will Oxford Street be closed to traffic for the evening, but for the first time it’ll shutting it down for a family festival day. FUSE have been putting together the experiential activity for the NSPCC and it looks like the whole team will be volunteering on the day itself!
Nearly every department at OMD UK and the NSPCC have got involved in the campaign and I truly can’t wait to see the lights shine on Oxford Street this Christmas!
This should be enough to persuade you to buy a Little Star for a loved one if you haven’t done so already!
What’s the most exciting aspect of your job?
No day is the same at OMD UK in the comms planning department and I love this about my job and the industry. The media opportunities are forever changing and as a comms planner working on some of the biggest brands in the UK we get to shape the way campaigns are executed in order to create such innovative and stimulating work.
What’s it like working for such an important charity?
Not everyone in our industry gets to work on such a valuable brand like the NSPCC so I consider myself very lucky. The work that the NSPCC do is so crucial to help keep children safe and I’m so happy to be involved in shaping the way they communicate to both children and adults in brave and innovative ways. It’s work that really makes a difference.
I’ve had a fair few standout moments working with the NSPCC from changing a law with the ‘Flaw in the Law’ campaign, raising mass awareness of the very important ‘Underwear Rule’ and creating conversation with the controversial ‘FAPZ’ campaign for ChildLine. Every campaign is different but as important as each other to help keep the NSPCC part of the UK’s culture so they can carry on doing what they’re best at – fighting for children’s safety.
