Background

CanTeen, a charity dedicated to helping young people with cancer, experienced a decline in donations due to the overwhelming focus on earthquake relief efforts. The challenge was to reignite public interest in CanTeen’s mission and inspire donations, despite the nation’s recent outpouring of generosity towards another cause. The solution needed to be both innovative and emotionally resonant to cut through the noise.

Objective

The objective was to raise awareness for CanTeen and encourage donations by creating an engaging and interactive experience that resonated with the public. The campaign aimed to connect the struggles of young people with cancer to the broader public through a shared experience of bad memories, transforming this connection into meaningful support for the charity.

Approach

The idea centered around the concept that while young people with cancer live with horrible memories every day, everyone has memories they’d rather forget. To bridge this connection, M&C Saatchi developed the Magnificent Memory Machine—a steampunk-inspired device that swapped bad memories for fantastic new ones.

The campaign featured both a physical machine that toured New Zealand and a virtual machine accessible through a Facebook app. Users were invited to enter their bad memory into the machine, which would then destroy it and print a new, uplifting memory on a ticket. To activate the machine, users texted a unique code, with each text costing $3, directly benefiting CanTeen.

Outcome

The Magnificent Memory Machine successfully raised CanTeen’s profile and generated much-needed donations during a challenging time. The innovative blend of physical and digital experiences resonated with the public, allowing them to engage with the campaign on a personal level while supporting a worthy cause. The campaign not only increased brand awareness but also provided tangible support to young people living with cancer, helping them create great new memories of their own.