In the continuing campaign to stomp out status quo, here is an example of how when you toss “the box” that everyone so desperately tries to stay inside, you come up with something brilliant and memorable. But more importantly, so the bean counters stay happy, it also tends to be quite effective.
This is from Gothenburg Homeless Aid’s “return to sender” campaign from two years ago.
This is from the Epica Awards site: People are a bit more generous around Christmas and tend to give more to those less fortunate than themselves. That’s why Christmas is a very important time for the Gothenburg Homeless Aid, a time when a large proportion of the entire year’s funding is collected.
But what can be done to stand out in the onslaught of mailings and Christmas cards? Actually, we created another Christmas card.
To draw attention to all the people with no fixed abode in Gothenburg we sent out the Christmas cards in envelopes addressed to: “Lasse Persson, a doorway/tunnel/stairwell, Hisingen (a part of Gothenburg)” and wrote the details of the actual intended recipient on the back of the envelope. Obviously the Swedish post office couldn’t find Lasse because he has no real address. The mail therefore had to be returned to the ‘Sender’ address on the back of the envelope with a post office stamp saying ‘Not known at this address’. The yellow label on the envelope not only highlights the fact that there are people in Gothenburg who have nowhere to live. It makes it virtually impossible for the recipient to simply discard it without opening it and seeing what it’s all about.
The Christmas card was sent to 20,000 people in Gothenburg, with account taken of age and annual income, in the days before and after Christmas.
The campaign raised SEK 1.6 million (around EUR 170,000), more than any previous Christmas campaign for the Gothenburg Homeless Aid.

Thanks to Jules Brown, an exceptional direct response copywriter from New Zealand. You can read his post here as well if you are interested.
The campaign continues!