Médecins Sans Frontières Ireland Doctors for doctors
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provides medical aid where it is needed most, often in difficult and dangerous circumstances. Doctors donate their time to the cause. This time, MSF were calling on them to donate something else.
The challenge
MSF has the support of many talented and generous doctors in the field, but the charity asked McCann Dublin to come up with a direct response campaign that would help them get the support of doctors in Ireland to become regular donors.
Our approach
In our experience of working with doctors on health and safety projects at McCann Dublin, we knew that doctors are time-poor people. So this could not be your regular direct mail. An A5 leaflet and letter was not going to cut it. We needed to create something special. Something relatable. Something that would motivate these busy people to take five minutes from their day to learn more about, and ultimately donate to, MSF.
The execution
Design
We created a direct mail piece modelled on a patient file. Unlike a typical patient file – which must be kept confidential – these files encouraged the recipient to share them with their colleagues and other interested parties: “Information in this file is not confidential. Please share with colleagues and other interested parties… Records must be available at all times. Do not leave in drawers, cabinets etc. to be ignored.”
The file even had allergy information that echoed MSF’s core values of impartiality, speaking out, and medical and financial independence: “Allergic to: needless suffering, preventable diseases, and political interference.”
The file was filled with three images overlaid with headlines. The copy on each image reinforced the unusual contexts where MSF regularly provide quality, lifesaving medical care; the roadside, the hut, the front line, the war zone. It also contained a brief letter from MSF Ireland Chairman, Dr. Gabriel Fitzpatrick and a direct debit mandate. The letter outlined the difference that a monthly donation of €65 could make.
We wanted this direct mail piece to feel as close to a genuine patient file as possible. The information on the manila folder was arranged as it would be on a typical medical file. We replicated a (perhaps neater than usual) doctor’s handwriting, where details would normally be entered manually. The images contained in the file were printed on acetate to resemble X-rays. When held to the light the image and accompanying headlines were revealed in full. Every detail, right down to the paper clip that held the contents of the file together, was considered.
We wanted this direct mail piece to feel as close to a genuine patient file as possible. The information on the manila folder was arranged as it would be on a typical medical file. We replicated a (perhaps neater than usual) doctor’s handwriting, where details would normally be entered manually. The images contained in the file were printed on acetate to resemble X-rays. When held to the light the image and accompanying headlines were revealed in full. Every detail, right down to the paper clip that held the contents of the file together, was considered.