Save the Children hunts ad agency

The children’s rights charity, Save the Children, is looking for an agency to handle its above-the-line advertising. In the past, the charity has used M&C Saatchi, but recently it has handled its advertising in house.

M&C Saatchi created the charity’s “Save the Children from Violence” campaign in 1999, which was used to spearhead its efforts to end the recruitment of child soldiers across the world.

The campaign was part of the charity’s repositioning as a campaigning organisation that speaks out against the violation of children’s rights, and not just a fund-raising charity.

The campaign – with the strap-line: “This is no time for silence. Lest we forget child soldiers” – aimed to end the plight of an estimated 300,000 child soldiers, forced to fight in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

In March this year, Save the Children marketing director John Kingston left the charity to head individual donor services at the Charities Aid Foundation – a non-government organisation that aims to increase the effectiveness of donors’ contributions and non-profit organisations’ resources (MW March 5).

Kingston, the charity’s marketing director for ten years, reported to the director-general, Mike Aaronson. Save the Children has yet to appoint Kingston’s replacement.

The charity recently awarded its media planning and buying to Feather Brooksbank.