GREENSCREEN CLIENT STORIES

BRITISH RED CROSS

THE BRIEF

The British Red Cross asked us to help them during one of the most challenging periods in their recent history, three years after the 2004 Asian tsunami.

One of our first foirees into PR, the charity had come under fierce scrutiny and was under pressure to demonstrate results after record-breaking donations by British people after the tsunami devastated coastlines and populations across the Pacific.

So, they asked us to film their work in one particularly hard hit regions: Aceh Province in northern Indonesia, where up to 90% of the population had died, lost close family, and their livelihoods.

THE WORK

We traveled to Indonesia with the head of the British Red Cross, Sir Nicholas Young, and filmed the reconstruction work, survivors, and crucially – to challenge Nicholas and the BRC more severely than any British broadcaster had.

Essentially, we produced their frontline video content for broadcast, whilst training Nick to talk to a hostile media in the UK and overseas. This allowed the British Red Cross to show that they had indeed spent the millions of pounds of donations properly.

THE RESULTS

Nick and the stories we broadcast were covered by all of the British national media within 3 days of our return to the UK.

The BBC (BBC One, Newsnight, BBC News Channel, online and radio), ITV, Sky, national and international press, and online news agencies took our pictures and copy, while we offered our contacts in the media to the BRC’s public relations agency so that Nick could meet the media.

As a result of this work, the charity’s PR team won the ‘Team of the Year’ Awardin the PR Week Awards and other ceremonies in 2005.

Plus, the coverage, combined with those awards, raised awareness of their work on the ground for the first time since the tsunami 3 years earlier.

This client story is another example of the work we do for every client – to help them to be heard, even when Greenscreen was young,