Background
O.N.E., a small, independent charity providing emergency accommodation to homeless Irish Defences Forces veterans, faced two huge barriers in raising much-needed funds. They operate in an extremely crowded homeless charity sector dominated by a few big players, while the Defence Forces veterans they care for receive almost no public recognition or support despite representing their country with distinction. Even with the number of homeless veterans numbering in the hundreds, their plight, and the work of O.N.E. in supporting them, was totally invisible.
On a modest budget, our brief was to make a big and immediate impact as O.N.E. faced a yearly struggle to keep their doors open. Our objectives were two-fold: we needed to build awareness of this hidden crisis quickly with the Irish public so we could establish the charity in people’s minds and instantly call on them for critically-needed donations.
Describe the creative idea
There is a huge disconnect between the Irish public and the Irish Defence Forces. But there is one thing both groups have in common - a huge sense of pride in the national flag.
The flag is incredibly important to all members of the Irish military. They have risked their lives for it. They hold it in the highest esteem, and the protocols around its representation and treatment are incredibly strict. So we decided to break protool to spark a much-needed conversation led by O.N.E. If our veterans were laying in the streets, then so too would our flag.
We created Sleeping Flags. An act that took Ireland’s iconic Tricolour flag and transformed it into the universal symbol of homelessness - the sleeping bag. A shocking combination which forced the public to consider what mattered more to them - the flag, or those who gave everything for it.
Describe the strategy
Rather than targeting a particular demographic, our Sleeping Flags appeal set out to capture the attention of patriotic Irish individuals and institutions. People who saw Ireland as a proud, inclusive country built on social justice for all. We knew that they would be the ones to both react and respond strongly to seeing the flag that represents their country suddenly representing a shameful failure to care for the people who served it.
More than a shock visual tactic, our approach was based on the insight that, even more than the general public, the flag means everything to Defence Forces personnel, serving or retired. They treat it with absolute reverence. Taking this action demonstrated to the people of Ireland this was an absolute last resort for O.N.E. and the homeless veterans it provides emergency accommodation for - veterans who would end up living, and dying, on the streets without them.
Describe the execution
Sleeping Flags launched on the 11th of February 2019.
In a coordinated act to raise public awareness and support, veterans took to the streets in our Sleeping Flags, sleeping in the shadow of iconic buildings chosen for their historical significance and symbolism.
We launched the campaign by having an Irish influencer known for activism and social commentary tweet a single image of a veteran in one of our bags. This single provocative image was like a tinderbox. Something that should elicit pride in Irish people was used to elicit anger and a sense of shame.
This quickly spread, generating a huge amount of debate and conversation. The following morning O.N.E. claimed ownership of the act, releasing a follow-up documentary appeal online that explained the urgent need for this drastic action. This was supported by a social campaign and subsequent outdoor installations featuring the Sleeping Flags to drive donations.
List the results
The campaign was an immediate national sensation, sparking intense conversation and debate about the treatment of the flag versus the treatment of Irish veterans online and across the media. It was covered by every national TV, radio station and newspaper in Ireland, with homeless veterans and members of O.N.E. interviewed on every major current affairs and chat show. Within 48 hours, O.N.E. had received a 4,560% increase in donations versus the previous year.
Sleeping Flags created such an impact that the welfare of veterans was raised on the floor of Dáil Éireann (the Irish Parliament), causing the government to donate a new building to O.N.E. along with €200,000 in funding to transform it into a much-needed additional hostel. This enabled O.N.E. to expand their services and keep more homeless veterans off the streets of Ireland.