Clever Communications - Voluntary Action Media Unit

The story of a campaign:
Dangerous Ground
Charities are always looking for innovative
ways to raise awareness and funds.
The competition for supporters and funding
is fierce across the third sector. Ideas are
not the problem; but turning ideas into
projects requires hard work, funding and
effective partnerships.
‘Dangerous Ground’ was No More
Landmines’ campaign for 2007 and was
designed to reach the widest audience
possible to make people aware of the global
mine crisis and the ongoing threat of cluster
bombs and unexploded weapons.
The initial idea for a short film was put
forward by creative agency CHI&Partners
who knew the charity through previous
interaction and gave generously of their
time, providing a range of services free of
charge. Their commitment was critical and
enabled No More Landmines to keep its
financial investment minimal.
The short film and viral campaign idea
developed to include a dedicated website,
two short films, television and cinema
placement and a photographic exhibition.
With such belief in the project and
the growing understanding of the brand
expansion of Dangerous Ground, it wasn’t
too difficult to secure pro bono specialist
services and support from a range of
different organisations.
CHI&Partners took the lead on the filming
and post-production, including finding a
director and crew. No More Landmines
secured stuntmen and extras, police
presence to lock down filming locations and
local authority permissions at no cost.
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Becky Maynard, Head of Fundraising,
No More Landmines
The decision to use a range of multimedia
and web technologies was key to
reaching a diverse audience and attracting
interest from online and print media who
covered the Dangerous Ground story.
Much of the praise for the project was
centred on the campaign’s accessibility to
people of all ages and the subtlety of the
message about the global mine crisis.
One film achieved the accolades of
being YouTube’s ‘All Time Most Viewed’,
‘Top Rated’ and ‘Top Favourites’ of all nonprofit
and activism films with over 500,000
hits. Television and cinema placements of
the second film have reached hundreds of
thousands more people.
During 2008 Dangerous Ground will be
developed and the focus will be on the
photography competition and exhibition.
Alongside a donation page, an online
auction is being planned, aimed at raising
brand awareness and funds to cover
investment costs as well as funding
clearance of unexploded weapons of war.
No More Landmines helps and empowers
communities around the world by removing
the threat of landmines and unexploded
weapons. www.landmines.org.uk
www.dangerousground.org