The Brand Agency delivers record breaking Christmas Purple Plates appeal for Foodbank WA

For ten years The Brand Agency and Foodbank WA have worked together to fight hunger in Western Australia. Over this time, The Brand Agency has delivered many highly effective and award-winning pro-bono campaigns – helping to raise awareness and much needed funds for the growing number of West Australians facing food insecurity.

For the Christmas 2022 appeal, Foodbank WA and The Brand Agency needed to deliver more than ever for those struggling with the growing cost-of-living pressures.

To do this, they created an enduring symbol – the Purple Plate, representing the empty plates many people face during Christmas. This symbol encouraged people to help fill the plates of those in need with a donation.

Amplifying the Purple Plate symbol, The Brand Agency worked with the WA Good Food Guide and independent food outlets to get Purple Plates added to the menus of some of Perth’s most popular restaurants – encouraging people to add one to their order as a donation. The fact the promotion was infront of people when they were filling their own plates was a huge donation driver.

Results have broken all previous records. With one week still to run, Purple Plates has raised 1,100,000 meals, that’s 380,000 more meals than last year’s campaign. As Foodbank WA’s most successful campaign ever, it has raised almost double The Brand Agency’s highly effective and awarded Hungry Puffs initiative did.

As well as the centrepiece in-venue activation and social media activity, the Purple Plates campaign has been running across digital, outdoor, press, video and radio. On social media the Purple Plate has become an emblem that people use to show their support for Foodbank WA.

Kate O’Hara, Foodbank WA CEO, said: “As the cost of living continues to escalate, Foodbank WA is seeing more and more people struggle to put food on the table. Before covid we would assist about 200 households a day through our network. The week before Christmas, it was 900. We are reliant on the generosity of the Western Australian community to ensure we can continue to help those who need help. With one in three households experiencing food insecurity in the last 12 months, the demand for our services will continue to grow. We are incredibly thankful for the creative support of The Brand Agency who help us tell our story to encourage community support for our important work”.

Dean Hunt, The Brand Agency Executive Creative Director, said: “Purple Plates was one of those sticky ideas that gained momentum as more people got involved. The simplicity of the empty plate as a symbol and the ‘buy a plate, while you’re filling your own plate’ donation-driving message delivered results that far exceeded expectation. A big thanks to all who volunteered their time, contacts, skills, menus, events, and talent to make this happen.”

Credits
Foodbank WA
Kate O’Hara – CEO
Moira Aynsley – Marketing & Communications Manager
Ian de Nazareth – Fundraising and Partnerships Manager
The Brand Agency, Perth
Executive Creative Director: Dean Hunt
Senior Art Director: Ellen Treharne
Art Director: Blanche McKie
Senior Copywriter: Gordon Haynes
Account Management: Kat Clayton, Natalie Woloszyn
Production/Design: Dan Agostino, Andrew Allingham, Mindy Lee, Clayton West, Nicola Commons, Paul Connelly
Production Company: King Street
Executive Producer: Katie Trew
Audio Post: Cue Sound
Sound Engineer: Mike Fragomeni