Project Description

Background
As Vietnam entered a "middle income" global status, UNICEF Vietnam became ineligible for some external funds. Even so, 100 children would die daily of preventable causes in the country. Awareness of UNICEF was low, though they had operated in Vietnam successfully since the mid 1950's. With a significant reduction of external funding, UNICEF needed a fundraising platform which would capture the imaginations of Vietnam's most successful individuals and corporations and inspire them to generously donate.

Brief
Create a strategic platform from which significant funds could be solicited from Vietnamese elite to support UNICEF Vietnam locally.

Strategy
Building upon UNICEF's global platform "Believe in ZERO" (who's aim is to bring the number of preventable child deaths to zero) we created and branded a new, high profile property called the UNICEF ZEROawards. Celebrating humanitarian acts by Vietnamese individuals, trophies would be awarded at a prestigious and much publicized ceremony. The brand, centered around a simple logo mark, which visually explains the cause with a call to action. A zero "0" is built from hundreds of pluses "+", with each plus representing the power of individual donations to make ZERO become a reality.

Results
At the first annual production of ZEROawards, UNICEF raised a whopping US$440,000 in one night. 176% HIGHER than their quarter of a million dollar goal and nearly 4 times higher than leading fundraising events prior. A minimum of 50,000 children will be treated in the province suffering from the highest rates of child malnutrition. The buzz generated around the star-studded event, as well as the didactic campaign surrounding it, spread the nation over via Television, print, outdoor and online media, greatly raising the awareness of UNCEF and their achievements in Vietnam. UNICEF plans to continue the ceremony annually (raising the goal of course) and empower more and more local humanitarians of all walks of life.