Platform2: An experience of a lifetime
by Gary Knox
Platform2 is a global volunteering experience aimed at giving 18-25 year olds who wouldn’t normally be able to afford to, the opportunity to volunteer in a developing country, with projects running in Ghana, South Africa, India and Peru.
Despite the excellent opportunity available to people, filling the placements for the first few trips was proving difficult – most applicants had found out via word of mouth or through short stints of non-targeted promotional activity in a select few cities.
Amplify created regional campaign activity in four cities – London, Aberdeen, Liverpool and Birmingham – with the objective of increasing applications and awareness of the Platform2 opportunity. The secondary objective was to create an easy to follow model for future use by the charity.
The activity was Platform2’s major marketing spend for the year therefore we needed to create a property that could be easily replicated once our association had ended – creating a model that each regional Volunteer Development Officer (VDO) can apply for future promotion within their area.
The campaign was split into three parts; pre-promotion through appropriate partners, street team activity and a live event.
Extensive contacts were made well in advance of activity commencing. Around 200 youth groups were approached across the four cities, many of whom mailed out to their databases and beyond.
A week prior to the event, the street team undertook a targeted approach in key areas within each city to attract people to the event as well as providing further information about the opportunity and applications form.
Street Team activity was aimed at people with a genuine interest in the opportunity rather than a mass flyer push. This resulted in over 1,000 people taking application forms and leaving their details to continue the conversation.
In each city Amplify concluded its activity with an event where interested parties are given the opportunity to find out more information about Platform2. An interactive event kit was created with the aim of prompting further questions and reinforcing the key messages of the charity. The kit included TV stands to watch footage from trips, photograph and message signposts as well as a photo / comment wall where previous volunteers have left messages and information.
The events were designed to be laid back and informal, prompting natural intrigue and conversation over complimentary drinks. Previous Platform2 volunteers were in attendance at the events to answer any questions with relevant stories from their experiences as well as to highlight that the type of people who volunteer are from their peer group and have similar backgrounds.
Music was played as a background to the many conversations taking place throughout with a live performance from a headline act to close the event. The headliners were picked with a local pull but a reach beyond their postcodes; Sergeant, Mexicolas, Royal Priesthood and Let’s Tea Party were among the acts that played.
The data of all interested parties, both on street level and at the event, was taken so that Amplify could follow-up post event - creating a port of call to answer any questions that people may have thought of since the activity, from help completing application forms to advice on medication and support in the host countries.
