The canal network has been a defining part of the nation’s landscape for centuries – connecting the country, bringing nature into the heart of cities, and providing a home to precious wildlife.
But what many don’t realise is that these historic waterways depend on Canal & River Trust to survive. Upkeep costs millions every year, and with more and more visitors, mounting maintenance costs and worsening extreme weather, the charity will be relying on donations from the public to keep the network alive.
Canal & River Trust needed to accelerate their gifts in Wills fundraising, inspiring gifts that would help sustain their work for decades to come. But with brand awareness low, they needed a standout campaign to connect with audiences and drive consideration for legacy giving.
What we did
- Strategy
- DRTV advert
- Paid social
- Response pack
Our research showed that, without a strong understanding of what Canal & River Trust does, the audience needed us to appeal to their personal connections to the waterways.
Time spent on, or by, the water. Walking, fishing, enjoying time in nature. Admiring the network’s engineering marvels, or making memories with their friends and family. All these experiences that our audience have on the network led us to a simple insight: people care deeply about the waterways they love, and they want future generations to enjoy them, too.
That insight became the emotional heart of ‘The Birdwatcher’, our DRTV advert – and core of the campaign.
Shot immaculately among some of England’s most beautiful canals, ‘The Birdwatcher’ shows us how our canals and rivers are living, breathing spaces where generations come together.
Following a young boy who’s processing the loss of his grandad, the film shows the precious value of the waterways – the inheritance you can pass down to others with a gift in your Will.
But in an era where the airwaves are saturated with legacy marketing, a beautiful story wasn’t enough. We needed to offer our audience something of genuine value – an experience that would build their interest into intention to give.
That’s why we created a beautiful guide to the nature and heritage on the canal network, including a map of nature spots and historical sites. Woven throughout with the impact of gifts in Wills, it’s already proven a roaring success, with hundreds of people requesting it.
‘The Birdwatcher’ formed the centrepiece of a wider campaign, spanning TV and digital channels – with precise location targeting to ensure we’re reaching people who live within a tight radius of a canal.
Alongside this, we developed a vibrant internal campaign, showing Canal & River Trust’s huge volunteer network how they can play their part.
The results so far are outstanding. In the first month alone, the campaign surpassed our annual targets, generating immediate enquiries about legacy giving – and setting a rock-solid foundation for long-term support.
