Arthritis Research Council's (ARC's) Diamond Jubilee
Sponsorship of Cutex Create-a-Plate 1995-96
By Suzi Patrick, Principal of Phoenix Management
Nature of relationship: Title sponsor over the duration of the two-year campaign
Name of Sponsor: Cutex - known as a hand and nail care brand.
It was launched in 1911 as a liquid cuticle remover and rapidly became synonymous with innovation, launching the first colourless and later coloured nail polish, instigating the trend for brightly coloured, stylish nails. Today, as well as being the world's number one nail care brand, Cutex also offer a full cosmetics range, which encapsulates colour, performance and care.
The Event: Live Auction 25 April 1996 London
Description: An event was the culmination of two years hard work with Cutex, the Cosmetics Company and Carolyn Eversfield PR. The aim was to create unique auction items that would be desirable and valuable enough to raise funds for the charity in its special year and create substantial international profile for the sponsor. Cutex asked them to support ARC by painting a plate using Cutex nail polish and sign it. A catalogue was printed with all the designs that had been generously painted and given free of charge by celebrities to the charity.
An amazing 120 Celebrities completed the task with stunning visual results:
1. HRH Princess Eugene
2. Sir Hardy Amies
3. Jane Asher
4. Cilla Black
5. Richard Branson (two plates)
6. Joan Collins
7. Kenny Everett
8. Richard Gere
9. Ryan Giggs
10. Norma Major
11. Zandra Rhodes
12. Carolyn Charles
13. Bill Tidy
14. Delia Smith
15. Tomasz Starzewski
The list goes on…
Added Value - Post Event Marketing
We also produced high quality china cup copies of favourite designs that went on sale after the auction for the Christmas market through retail outlets and part sponsored through Boots. This facet gave added value to the designs created through the special event and promoted a longer shelf life, reaching a wide variety of different audience segments.
Joint Values
The event embraced the same properties of the fundraising campaign of ARC's Diamond Jubilee Year which were those of
Painting positive images of people with arthritis
Dissolving the stereotypical myths of the disease being just for the elderly
Helping the public understand that rheumatic diseases are progressive but can be treated
Building the need for further awareness to find a cure
A Careful Match
The mechanic of being able to positively focus upon the hands and feet, through which you can often see the outward signs of rheumatic disease was specific and effective. The opportunity to have an association with a sponsor whose main business was hands and feet was a powerful partnership. It gained more major column inches than any other ARC press campaign and also raised monies for the Charity. Cutex were thrilled
Evaluation Time
We lost track at the end of the sponsorship as to how much investment Cutex had put into the sponsorship as title sponsor. I think the success of the campaign blew them away. They certainly could not have bought the vast number of column inches on the open advertising market and the celebrity associations attached to their property and to their unique auction items were far reaching.
Each plate sold for a minimum £100 bid. Postal bids were taken. Some 80 plates of the collection made the final live auction and some memorable five-figure sums being achieved on single items on the night.
The conclusion was a highly visible PR and fundraising campaign that exceeded expectations and monetary targets for both Cutex and ARC.
Other sponsors involved:
Associate sponsors were: Carolyn Eversfield PR, Hudson& Middleton, Boots, The Bradford Exchange Ltd, The Talent Corporation (UK) Ltd, The Art Connoisseur Gallery and Sotherby's.
Suzanne V Patrick
© 2002
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