# Analysis of legacy adverts 'deeply disappointing'

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/10/02/analysis-legacy-adverts-039deeply-disappointing039/
- Published: 2009-10-02T09:01:54+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Advertising and marketing consultant Andrew Papworth has analysed 18 fundraising
adverts in a recent legacies supplement in The Daily Telegraph and was "deeply disappointed
by most of them".

Writing in the new edition of Harvest, his free charity marketing newsletter, he
said: "For entirely understandable reasons, many of the charities felt they could
only afford a tiny space, 10cm x 2 columns, but they then tried to squeeze in all
the elements they usually put in a bigger space. It’s like trying to write ‘War 
and Peace’ on a postage stamp".

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He argued that this resulted in smudgy photographs and type that was so small as
to be unreadable.

![ACET legacy advert (not to scale)](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/files/u11/acet_legacy_advert_2009.
jpg "ACET legacy advert (not to scale)")

He added: "Several of them made matters much worse by reversing out the tiny print
from a dark background. In at least one case the relpy address and telephone number
were utterly illegible rendering the whole exercise relatively pointless."

Papworth did pick out some examples of legacy adverts from Barnardo’s which were
worth of praise. "They continue their long record of creating innovative, ground-
breaking fundraising campaigns which also enhance the brand", he commented.

 ⌊Barnardo's legacy advert (not to scale)⌉

Overall though he argues that the quality of legacy adverts in general is "pretty
dire" compared with other fundraising adverts and, unlike them, it shows little 
sign of improvement over time.

‘Harvest’ is available free on request from **@********************co.uk.

 

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