Design Direction | Concept Development
In 2013, Oxfam brought the creative development of its national holiday ad campaign promoting its alternative gift-giving program in-house. I developed the concept with our Creative Director, and oversaw all aspects of design and production across print, digital, and out of home media.
The result: The top-performing campaign over a more than ten-year history, with all three years of in-house creative development performing in the top five years. After the initial success of the campaign, to reduce cost and increase brand-recognition, I led the shift to repurpose the concept year-over-year, rather than rebuild a new campaign each year from scratch. The campaign also won a prestigious Hatch Show award.
With a unique opportunity to bring light to the heavy subject matter of fighting poverty, the campaign featured some of Oxfam's best-selling symbolic gift products, anthropomorphized in mugshots. Visual cues were taken from the vernacular of American-west "WANTED" posters.
The Oxfam Gifts campaign won a prestigious Hatch Award, awarded by the Ad Club, celebrating the best of advertising in New England.
Out of home ads appeared in print and digital displays in public transit stations, and rail and bus cars and shelters, across Oxfam's target metropolitan areas including Boston, San Francisco, Washington DC, Seattle, Chicago, Orlando, Austin, and others.
The mugshot theme came to life with animation in the digital display campaign.