• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer, December 22, 2008

Here's an interesting spin on a yearly campaign that occurs in Brazil. Every year most companies participate in the Warm Winter Campaign, which encourages employees to donate winter items such as blankets, hats, scarves and jackets to those less fortunate.

Traditionally, print ads and posters are created within each participating company urging employees to make a donation.

SBT, a Brazilian TV network, decided to take the money normally allocated for its print and poster ad budget and use it to purchase hats, scarves, sweatshirts and blankets with the call-to-donate message printed on the accessories.

This was an internal campaign, so a poster frame in a company restroom, for example, housed a hat in between the glass pane emblazoned with the SBT logo and the reason why a hat is being used in place of a poster. "This advertisement will be donated to the 2008 Warm Winter Campaign. Support it too," says each item of clothing.

In addition, all SBT employees received an email and video on the first day of this year's Warm Winter Campaign explaining the initiative. In a direct mail component, actual scarves and sweatshirts were sent to SBT employees to encourage giving. The pieces were donated at the end of the campaign.

The campaign was created by Lew´Lara/TBWA and all items used as promotional elements were donated at the conclusion of the campaign.

More than 1,000 items of clothing were collected throughout the campaign's duration, showing how the accessories served as creative to motivate SBT employees to donate goods -- as well as warmth for the needy.