Case B-t-C: The Danish Home Guard got new image
The brochure turned into a campaign against prejudices.
The very first time we sat foot on the embankment at the Danish Home Guard in September 2004, the visions were limited. So limited in fact, that the only expectation was for us to create a brochure for recruiting.
However, things changed rather quickly and by the time we left the establishment, the Home Guard knew they needed considerably more than just a brochure. They needed to be completely turned upside-down and strike a counter attack against the prejudices they had been victimized by for so many years. The 55.000 volunteers where to get a brand new image. The Danish Home Guard should appear a modern, outgoing organization, without at any time disregarding their values or historical position in Denmark.
Weekend-warrior or coffee-slacker
According to many people, the Home Guards were a confusing green mass. Very few had a clear idea of the volunteer corps' position in the Danish Defence. The few good stories that we have come across during our woxpop would usually drown in a wave of bad publicity. Nicknames like cookie-warrior or coffee-slacker was common among the population. On top of that, almost none knew what the Danish Home Guard actually did in their daily work.
Turn challenge into advantage
Either you can react to a problem or you can sneak around it. We chose to confront it. With an extensive campaign we challenged the many prejudices about the Danish Home Guard. On ads, radiospots, posters and the web we confronted the Danes’ attitude towards the Home Guard. We showed them the real picture of the many volunteers. And yes, it is true that they drink coffee, and take time off in the sun. But what many people don’t know is, that they usually do it after they’ve worked several hours protecting the environment, saving lives or preventing crises from developing.
The campaign took of in September 2005 - You can see it below.
We challenged people on the web
We quadrupled the attraction to The Home Guard
In just two weeks campaign time the Home Guard had 4000 enquiries regarding membership. In comparison 7000 members had left them in the past year.
Furthermore the campaign actually quadrupled the attraction of young people between 25 and 29 years in just 4 months, and the knowledge about the assignments of the Home Guard grew 40%.
Today 64 % of the Danes have faith in the Home Guard’s ability to solve its’ assignments.
Do you have questions about the campaign, then please don’t hesitate to contact us at +45 3254 1054.
