Christian Aid's latest TV ad offers a glimpse of the paradigm-shift in donor marketing over the past decade.

"Give a man a fish..." the sombre advert predictably begins, with early-morning darkness barely illuminating the hard-working fishermen as they sort their nets. Not ten seconds into the 31 second advert, however, the cliche is swiftly discarded, as the advert jumps back into the 21st century. "Ok, we all know the rest," says the narrator, to a now bright and lively scene featuring 'Mo', a local entrepreneur.

The remainder of the film guides us not through his tragedy, but through his potential success as a business owner. Instead of playing of donors heart-strings, it presents a picture of commercial potential, portraying the person, not the affliction.

The advert is still an 'ask' but instead of a call for a regular donation it asks instead for a single £5 text donation.

As such, the snappy film offers a brief window into how far the charity sector has changed its understanding of the donor market, and how we view beneficiaries.

Christian Aid Week runs from  12 - 18 May this year.

 

Every Friday civilsociety.co.uk features an innovative or effective use of film by a charity. If you would like to draw our attention to your charity's film, or even someone else's please email [email protected].