Charity awareness up at Christmas but recall of TV ads low, says research
Melanie May | 28 December 2016 | News
People are more aware of charities at Christmas but this awareness is not currently gained through the season’s TV advertising, nfpSynergy research has revealed.
86% of 1,000 people representative of the UK public questioned by nfpSynergy in October 2016 could not recall any adverts in recent years where a big brand had teamed up with a charity in their Christmas ad. The most remembered charity partnership Christmas adverts were by John Lewis, recalled by 4%, Sainsbury’s, by 2%, and M&S, by 1%. The individual charities concerned in these ads were recalled by just 1% each and included British Red Cross, Salvation Army, and Oxfam.
However, 60% agreed or strongly agreed that they hear more about charities at Christmas, while almost a third (31%) said that they tend to give more to charities at this time of year. 48% usually buy charity Christmas cards (rising to 65% for women over 55 years old) while 40% state that they are more likely to buy a product that includes a charitable donation at Christmas, and 24% buy charity gifts for others.
Despite this, 43% of the public feel that Christmas makes it harder to find the money to support charities. Younger age groups find it hardest to support charities at Christmas, with more than half of 16-24 year olds (55%) agreeing that they lack money to spare at this time of year, and just over 50% of both men (52%) and women (51%) aged 16-34 saying the same.
While they may find it harder to donate however, a third of 16-24 year olds volunteers during the festive season, compared with 18% of the public overall. Older age groups volunteer less at this time of the year – 8% compared to 22% during other times of the year.
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.