I Wish I'd Made 'Fuck The Poor'

Fuck The Poor combined a brave stunt and a social experiment to see if the population still cared about helping the poor.

The Pilion Trust had lost staggering amounts of government funding, donations were low and they were concerned about their homeless shelter for children.

With a £500 budget they worked with Publicis to attempt to gain the funding it needed to keep the shelter open.

They created a controversial and provocative campaign that was designed to attract attention and cause debate.

The online video features a fundraiser with a cardboard sign stating 'Fuck The Poor'. They captured the publics’ reactions; they were full of anger and disgust and created arguments in support of helping the poor. However, the video later shows the same man with a new sign stating 'Help The Poor'. With this sign the fundraiser attracts little acknowledgment and little donations.

I think this experiment is assertive and demands attention. They have been able to create a campaign that highlights a problem most charities are facing, by using the publics own reactions between themselves and a man with a cardboard sign. The campaign is powerful in highlighting the fact that charities cannot survive on intentions alone. It works well because they have incorpoirated shared knowledge and broken a common 'rule' of this type of advertising. By flipping compasion on it's head, the campaign created huge debate .

The advert created conversation but also elicited action. Not only was it successful in reaching global news but it also attracted and motivated a nation into donating to the charity, without asking them to do so.

Publicis' campaign brought in £163,734 in donations, more than tripling their target. Its an amazing example of how engaging with your audience the right way can really make a huge difference.