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Category
Social Channel / Single Platform
Annual ID
OS_SM21_004B
About the Work
The Big Issue is a UK street magazine, which offers a new hope for homeless and vulnerably housed people across the country.
When Coronavirus and the subsequent lockdowns hit, Big Issue vendors saw their livelihoods erased. Unable to sell magazines on the high street, they lost their source of income and their community.
So we pivoted, and decided to recreate their sales model digitally on an unexpected yet totally logical social media platform: LinkedIn.
Initially, we trained 9 vendors on the best ways to use the platform and provided them with free tablets in a partnership with Dixons. They were taught to post, comment and share content relevant to their interests and passions. Each post contained a unique e-com trigger, whereby customers could click through and buy a subscription from that specific vendor.
But most of the vendor’s sales came from their regulars, who were now all stuck at home. We had to find them. First, we triangulated the spots where the vendors used to sell. Using location data from LinkedIn, we targeted the employees who worked at businesses in the immediate area. Then the vendors reached out to them, reconnecting with the businesspeople and professionals who used to walk by them every day.
As the vendors gained more confidence, they began interacting with other LinkedIn members, engaging in conversations while also touting what was in the latest copy of the Big Issue before making a sale. This drastically shifted the perceptions of the vendors, proving that they were legitimate businesspeople who had every right to be on LinkedIn.
In the end, the vendors amassed +2500 connections between them. Their subscription sales increased by 325%, they sold 400% more magazines, and several of their posts were viewed +300,000 times – thus proving that digital inclusion truly does equal real-world inclusion.
When Coronavirus and the subsequent lockdowns hit, Big Issue vendors saw their livelihoods erased. Unable to sell magazines on the high street, they lost their source of income and their community.
So we pivoted, and decided to recreate their sales model digitally on an unexpected yet totally logical social media platform: LinkedIn.
Initially, we trained 9 vendors on the best ways to use the platform and provided them with free tablets in a partnership with Dixons. They were taught to post, comment and share content relevant to their interests and passions. Each post contained a unique e-com trigger, whereby customers could click through and buy a subscription from that specific vendor.
But most of the vendor’s sales came from their regulars, who were now all stuck at home. We had to find them. First, we triangulated the spots where the vendors used to sell. Using location data from LinkedIn, we targeted the employees who worked at businesses in the immediate area. Then the vendors reached out to them, reconnecting with the businesspeople and professionals who used to walk by them every day.
As the vendors gained more confidence, they began interacting with other LinkedIn members, engaging in conversations while also touting what was in the latest copy of the Big Issue before making a sale. This drastically shifted the perceptions of the vendors, proving that they were legitimate businesspeople who had every right to be on LinkedIn.
In the end, the vendors amassed +2500 connections between them. Their subscription sales increased by 325%, they sold 400% more magazines, and several of their posts were viewed +300,000 times – thus proving that digital inclusion truly does equal real-world inclusion.
2021 Awards
Total Points: 9
Bronze Pencil
Credits
Agency
FCB Inferno / London
PR / Marketing Agency
3 Monkeys Zeno / London
Post Production Company
No.8 London / London
Associate Creative Director
Austin Hamilton
Jessica Giles
Chief Creative Officer
Fred Levron
Owen Lee
Designer
Max Fox
Director
Katie Boulton
Strategist
Imogen Armstrong
Account Director
Caroline Aristides
Account Executive
Abbie Wilson
Account Manager
Emma Nathan
Brand Marketing Manager
Zara Easton
Case Film Director
Charlie Coombes
Colourist
Senem Pehlivan Yagan
Communications Manager
Lucy Kerr
Consumer Communications Lead & Careers Expert
Charlotte Davies
Creative Producer
Livvy Tidd
Editorial Director
Richard Price
EMEA Director of Communications
Cc Clark
Financial & Digital Inclusion Manager
Christy Isaac
Group Executive Director
Lara McCullagh
Group Head of Communications
Ruth Law
Group Head of Marketing
Nashitha Suren
Group Marketing & Communications Director
Zoe Hayward
Group Marketing & Communications Executive
Vicky Major
Head of Partnerships & Programs
Beth Thomas
Senior Account Director
Hannah Thorn
Jenni Edwards
Senior Account Executive
Evie Monroe
Senior Account Manager
Claire Macalister Hall
Senior Creative
Alice Teruzzi
Francesca Ferracini
Senior Digital Communications Manager
Laura Greenslade
Social Impact Lead
Richard Sullivan
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