Prostate Cancer Research Foundation: On Resurrection

October 23, 2009

There are a few adverts from the past few years that have really stuck in my head – Prostate Cancer Research Foundation’s stellar campaign ‘Give a Few Bob’ is one of them.

First of all, and I’m going to come out and admit it now – I had no idea that the film was made after the great man himself passed away. As I sat there listening to CEO Emma Halls explain the bare bones of the campaign’s development, I was shocked when she told the audience at the recent CharityComms seminar that the infamous ‘Give a Few Bob’ film clip was created by using a body double, an impressionist and archive footage. Yes – the entire film was produced posthumously, and it really did, indeed, bring Bob back from the grave.

Founded in 1993 by the late Sir Clive Bourne, the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation employed its first full-time member of fundraising staff in 2005 – Halls – who led the Bob campaign that was infamous two years ago on its release, and amazingly (yet somehow unsurprisingly) still prevalent and going strong today.

The forty-second film was made in nine months with a tiny budget of £50k, yet in its time of circulation it has generated over £3.5m in media value, and has since led a surplus of campaign materials and extras such as tube and truck posters, and badges; not to mention the sheer warmth of the reception it has received from both the public and the media alike.

Any regrets, though? Halls told CharityComms members that the only thing she wished she did was plug the name of the charity itself a little louder. To most “We’re the ‘Bob people’. No one knows who we are or what our name is.” But no one can argue how much attention the campaign has generated for such an overlooked and important cause. Halls said: “You have to use humour.” Because it’s a funny thing, isn’t it? No one knows where the prostate is, no one likes talking about it – so we have to get people to talk, to listen. Humour’s was, for us, the way to do that.”

Teri Williams, CharityComms intern.