Innovative Bristol-based giving platform Neighbourly has wrapped up a hugely successful year by partnering on three of the festive seasons’ top advertising campaigns.
The firm, which launched in 2014 to match large businesses with local good causes, features in the Christmas TV campaigns of discount supermarket chains Aldi and Lidl, while it has also linked up with Coca-Cola on its iconic festive truck tour across the UK.
All three campaigns highlight the importance of community support during the Christmas season – reflecting, says Neighbourly, a new approach by major businesses.
Lidl’s adverts call on viewers to donate to its in-store toy banks in partnership with Neighbourly, while arch-rival Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot has returned to highlight the importance of sharing at Christmas, linking to its year-round surplus programme, which distributed 13m meals over the past year.
Coca-Cola Great Britain called in the firm to back its Christmas promotion, through which it will support local charity partners and community causes in locations visited by its Christmas truck, while also celebrating its volunteer programme.
The campaigns come at the end of a busy 12 months for Neighbourly, during which it achieved £102m in total financial impact, supporting more than 5,700 charities and community groups.
Within this overall positive impact, £6m has been disbursed as grants, 64,000 volunteer hours have been delivered and 56m meals of surplus food distributed.
Earlier this year it also expanded its offering to enable medium-sized businesses to use the platform.
Its growth, however, signals a continuing significant demand for support as the cost of living crisis persists.
Neighbourly’s latest community survey among 1,300 causes shows 94% of surveyed were expecting demand for their services to increase over the winter months.
Neighbourly CEO Steve Butterworth said: “We’re hugely appreciative that community investment is featured so prominently in the campaigns of household names like Aldi, Lidl and Coca-Cola at a time when goodwill and giving are front of mind for all of us.
“The last few years have seen a real step-change in the message that businesses of all sizes want to emphasise, particularly at Christmas.
“Businesses can’t succeed if the ecosystem and society they operate in is suffering.
“It’s positive to see organisations offering their support to communities who need it most, but as Coca-Cola, Aldi & Lidl know through their continued work with us, ensuring this impact is felt all year round is crucial.”
Since its launch, Neighbourly has worked with global and domestic brands such as Marks & Spencer, Samsung, B&Q and Virgin Media, to deliver UK-wide but locally driven giving programmes.
