Creator / originator

Jo Young, senior copywriter and Alex Tucker, art director at Consider Creative 

Background

I used to live right next to the canal in Leamington Spa. Everyday, I’d cross the little bridge over the water on my way into town. On summer’s evenings, I’d run along the towpath until the town faded away. 

It was peaceful and quiet. Time seemed to stand still. I’d listen to the birdsong and the chug of canal boat engines and I’d feel like I was in a different world. 

I never really thought then about what it takes to keep places like this alive. Like most of us, I took it for granted that this network of waterways still exists – that it’s part of our national landscape. 

In reality, the survival of our canals depends on the Canal & River Trust. Upkeep costs millions every year, and with more and more visitors, mounting maintenance costs and worsening extreme weather, the charity relies increasingly on donations from the public to keep the network alive.

It’s a huge challenge. And legacy gifts are going to be crucial if we’re to protect our canals in the years to come. 

That’s why the Canal & River Trust came to us at Consider: to help launch a legacy DRTV (direct response television) programme and their first ever large-scale gifts in Wills campaign. 

That’s where our search for the kingfisher began. 

Summary / objectives

Working with the charity’s excellent legacy team, our mission was to develop several, interconnected initiatives: 

• a new, insight-driven legacy proposition 
• a flagship campaign that raised brand awareness while also conveying a strong legacy message 
• an innovative onwards journey that kept engagement going
• and a supporting internal communications campaign that got everyone on board

Special characteristics

We knew that in order to make something really special, we needed to move the charity’s storytelling away from the technical side of waterways maintenance to something deeper: family bonds, relationships, rituals, and memories.

This informed our new legacy proposition, Keep canals alive, and gave us the emotional heart of the charity’s first ever legacy advert: ‘The Birdwatcher’. 

Shot immaculately among some of England’s most beautiful canals, ‘The Birdwatcher’ follows the story of a young boy who’s processing the loss of his grandad through the search for a kingfisher. 

It paints a picture of our canals and rivers as living, breathing spaces where generations come together. And it makes clear how precious our waterways are – an inheritance you can pass down to others with a gift in your Will. 

But an effective storytelling approach is only half the story. We needed to bring it to life in comms that would stand out in a crowded market – and kick-start a pipeline of support to sustain the charity into the future. 

Enter the Guide to Canals. Rather than a classic gifts in Wills pack, we created a beautiful pocket guide to the wildlife, nature and heritage of our waterways. It was something that people actually wanted – and would keep. A guide that they could take with them on their canal adventures, and get a little reminder about the impact of gifts in Wills each time. 

This approach recognises that the decision to leave a gift in a Will doesn’t happen right away. It’s made gradually over time, as people build that connection to the charity and the places they protect. The Guide to Canals helps to do that, sowing the seeds of a legacy gift that’ll be made further down the line. 

Alongside this, a striking press insert and surrounding social ads drove response – and a vibrant internal launch engaged volunteers and got everyone talking about kingfishers.

Results

The results have been outstanding. Over 6,000 copies of our innovative response pack – the Guide to Canals – have been requested, smashing all initial targets. 

The incredible response rate shows the power of storytelling, especially when paired with a response pack that met people where they were at.  A pack that brought people into the magic of waterways, built connection, and positioned gifts in Wills as a way to keep all that alive. 

Influence / impact

Looking to the future, we can tell this campaign also had a measurable, large-scale impact on propensity to donate – with the number of people saying they’d support Canal & River Trust financially increasing by nine per cent as a result, far higher than similar charities.

But best of all, this campaign contributed to a doubling in the number of legacy pledgers – gifts that will help to protect our canals long into the future. 

Final notes

I think about canals differently now. Not as an inherent part of our landscape, but as places that we need to protect. 

Places where people and nature can come together by water. On their banks, we find quiet. Fresh air. Greenery. Birdsong. We feel closer to nature. And we can spend hours walking and chatting on their towpaths. 

That’s what Alex Tucker and I did, at least, all the while hoping to catch a glimpse of a kingfisher. I’ve not seen one yet – but I reckon that’s part of the magic, too. 

And besides, with the help of gifts to the Canal & River Trust, the canals will be alive for years to come. So, the search continues. 

You can read more about the campaign and watch ‘The Birdwatcher’ here - https://considercreative.co.uk/work/charity/launching-legacy-tv/

IMAGES ©: Canal & River Trust