Oxfam ‘will still use’ aborted ad campaign

Oxfam says the creative work carried out on an aborted advertising and direct marketing push will be used as part of a broader campaign designed to attract volunteers and campaigners to the charity.

The work, created by EHS Brann and featuring celebrities including Vic Reeves and Rachel Stevens, is believed to have cost &£240,000 and has not seen the light of day after being dropped because of an internal dispute, although Oxfam says that the money has not been wasted.

The work, which included direct-response television spots as well as direct marketing, was for a campaign believed to be called “Be Counted” and called for 20,000 donors to support the charity within a six-week period.

Supporters of the campaign would have received individually numbered “dog tags”.

The unreleased material contains links to a telephone number that is not in use and to a webpage at Oxfam’s internet site that does not exist.

EHS Brann was replaced as Oxfam’s direct marketing agency after disagreements over the campaign within the charity’s marketing department (MW October 20).