A F*cking Campaign That Will Open Your Eyes
The title of this campaign that was carried out by Pilion Trust is an eye opening and start of a much needed social change in our world that is called “Fuck the Poor.” Pilion Trust and Publicis carried out a social experiment that showed how much we say we want change but will do little to act on that change.
The social experiment was simple. It took place in London where they are experiencing major deficits in donations for charity such as Pilion Trust and the government cutting spending as well. A man wore a sign in a busy street where he yells out “Fuck the Poor.” Over and over again as he yells this saying, people come up to him offended and angered that someone could say that. The same man then flips the sign and now says “Help the Poor” and carries a small jar for donations. No one approaches him, except one man to donate some pocket change.
The tag line for this campaign was “We know you care. Please care enough to give.” Pilion Trust is a small charity and doesn’t have the funds to do big paid media, so they had Publicis help with this idea to do this simple yet profound social experiment. This campaign was successful because it was content that was created that touched on emotion and we know that this is the kind of stuff that goes viral. People make a connection with the message and in turn want to share it and engage with the company itself.
Source: http://www.thedrum.com/news/2014/04/07/fuck-poor-says-new-shock-campaign-pilion-trust-urging-public-care
About michellepaltan
I Want More Points 
I love that you chose to write about this PR campaign. I actually read about this campaign on the news before I read your blog post. It is very inspiring to see campaigns like this that use a very small budget and end up with very large, successful results. I hope they continue to find new, creative ways to get buzz for their campaign. Their YouTube page could gain a lot of attention if they continue to try new ways to get consumer’s attention.
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This was such an interesting read and an eye opening campaign. The campaign was simple — having the man carry that sign out on the street. But the response was large. It’s amazing that they didn’t have the funds to pay for big media yet their campaign reached so many even without the money. That itself shows how impactful their campaign was.
In the original article, Savvas Panas, the chief executive of the Pilion Trust, stated, “We understand that some may be shocked by this footage. We are more offended however, that people across the United Kingdom are living in adverse poverty.” This campaign really wants to get the word out about poverty in the United Kingdom and how we as citizens can help. Yes, it was important to see how people responded to his sign and shouting but it’s more important to recognize the poverty and promote awareness.
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This definitely is a campaign that had a strong message, and it is crazy to see the selfishness that occurs every day. I don’t think that this is an isolated in just the United Kingdom, I think this is a problem that has no borders and affects all societies. The Tampa area and the United States in general have a huge income gap and a large homeless population. As the economy strengthens, it’ll be interesting to see if there is an increase in money allotted towards helping the homeless population and those in poverty. Campaigns like this shine light on important issues that become worn down over time.
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I love this article I totally enjoy reading it. I love how they become creative to approach a problem and try to help. Very interesting and I totally agree this campaign was successful because people make a connection with the message and in turn want to share it and engage with the company itself as you mention before.
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