On Thursday 25th January 9 teams of finalists gathered at BAFTA HQ in Piccadilly, to battle for the title of Creative Shootout Winner 2018. Founder and creator Johnny Pitt, describes the shootout as a “celebration of talent, people and ideas.” Now in its third year, the Creative Shootout is an ever developing collosus of a competition, which does not disappoint.
The Creative Shootout highlights incredible charities each year, raising awareness for organisations such as Unicef, Mind and Rethink. Food distribution charity FareShare was the focus of this years brief. FareShare is a UK wide charity fighting hunger and food insecurity. They redistribute good food that would otherwise go to waste via frontline charities and community groups that support vulnerable people.
Food Poverty
FareShare definition of food poverty:
People on low or no income with poor access to affordable nutritious food and that lack the knowledge skills or equipment to ensure food is safe and prepared properly.
The stats are shaming for England in 2018
- 8.5 Million people cannot afford to eat.
- 1 in 7 go hungry every day.
- 1.9 million tonnes of food is wasted every year in the supply chain in the UK.
Last year FarShare redistributed enough food for 28.6 million meals – yet this is only 5% of the surplus food available in the UK.
The Brief
The brief, presented to the finalists by FareShare CEO Lindsay Boswell, was to strengthen the impact of the FareShare Network by designing a campaign to increase the number of volunteers. Each week across Regional Centres, there are 700 volunteers distributing food to those who need it – FareShare would like that amount increased to 2000 volunteers. The increase would would lead to a greater capacity within centres and delivery vans to handle food and drinks, provided by the food industry.
Creative Pitches
Third Prize was awarded to Mischief – narrowly missing out on a hat trick! Their pitch centred around the “FareShare BiteCoin” and a FareShare supermarket where the BitCoins – earned with time rather than money – could be spent. Our very own Erin looked very glamorous presenting them with their 3rd place award.
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Second Place went to Ignis who had the brilliant idea of tapping into the current “Youthquake” by mobilizing students, who already make up a large number of volunteers. The 18-24 demographic are much more socially and politically aware than ever before. Ignis wanted to invite students to “Get Wasted” targeting universities that are already situated in the regional areas identified by Fare Share.
First Place was won by Raw London who charmed us with their delightful talking fruit stop animation entry film. Their final pitch kicked off with “my mother used to say”anecdotes – mothers teaching their children to finish all their food, “don’t let food go to waste.” Or their slightly more relaxed attitudes to sell-by dates in past generations – “There’s plenty of life still left in those apples.” Raw London proposed a campaign which matched food to their human counterparts, bringing the relationship between life giving object (food) and humans much closer. The message being; no food goes to waste, no human being either.
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This campaign stood out because it looked at the potential of the yet untapped volunteer. They thought about why someone would volunteer, but also why they wouldn’t – perhaps due to feelings of inadequacy, a lack of confidence, or maybe they feel a bit past their sell by date themselves. Raw London’s message was one of inclusion, and validation – “We need you! Any Size. Any Shape”.
One Poll
I cannot end this blog without mentioning One Poll. Each year the brains behind Creative Shootout tweak the format ever so slightly. Last year we were able to contribute to a share of the vote by choosing our favourite campaign. This year was sooooo much more exciting than putting a green token in a voting box. With tech supplied by One Poll this year we voted live after each campaign. This interaction generated many “oohs” “aahs” as each pitch was rated in a 4-tier preference system A-D. As an audience member it is great to be able to participate, and very entertaining to discuss the controversy that ensued!
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Next Year
Thank you to Johnny, Scott, Alex and the whole team who put together such a fantastic and inspiring event. It’s just a shame we have a wait a whole year for the next one!
