Foodies encouraged to book a table at a top restaurant to help end world hunger
McCann Sydney is using a first world problem to help contribute to the solution for a third world problem with a new campaign allowing people to book late at popular restaurants and raise cash for people without much food.
The ‘A Table to End Hunger’ campaign for the Huger Project allows foodies to bid on an EBay site for a table at some of Sydney’s most popular restaurants which often book out months in advance, with the cash going to the charities.
Restaurants taking part include Rene Redzepi’s sold-out NOMA Australia at Barangaroo, which already boasts a waiting list of 27,000, Aria, Bennelong, Quay, Marque and Guillaume.
Tables will be made available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights from Valentine’s Day through to early March.
Cathy Burke, CEO of The Hunger Project Australia, said: “Australia is a nation of foodies whose appetite for the greatest and latest in the dining-out scene is insatiable. That’s why we’re thrilled to partner with McCann and Australia’s top restaurants to help solve chronic, persistent world hunger.
“Although this might seem like a lofty goal, in the past 25 years the number of people living in hunger has actually been cut in half. We have come a long way, but there are still 795 million people living in chronic hunger globally. By unlocking their capacity creativity and leadership, we can empower these people to transform their futures and end their own hunger.”
McCann Sydney executive creative director Dejan Rasic said: “The Hunger Project’s commitment to ending world hunger is more than just a mission statement. We worked hard to develop an idea to drive PR and lift awareness of The Hunger Project and support for their incredible work. Bidding on a table to put food on someone else’s simply made sense.”
McCann worked on the strategy and DEC PR delivered the PR element of the campaign.
CREDITS
Client: The Hunger Project Australia
Advertising Agency: McCann Sydney
Executive Creative Directors: Dejan Rasic
Art Director & Copywriter: Felix Holfve, Martin Svane
Managing Director: Adam Lee
General Manager: Nicole Gardner
Senior Account Director: Sara Shields
Strategic Planning Director: Roshni Hegerman
Strategist: Marcelle Garcia
National Head of Broadcast: Colin Tuohy
Editing and Music Composition: Josh Graham
Public Relations Agency: DEC PR
How is auctioning a few tables in Sydney going to put an end to world hunger by 2030?
Pffff. It must be time for Cannes with this atrocious case study.
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Why not partner with Ikea next – make a donation when you buy a table. I’d imagine you’d make a lot more money.
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This is awful as an idea and is symptomatic of much that is wrong with advertising. Incredibly trite. A few simple questions –
1. How many tables are going to be available?
2. What % of money paid goes to charity?
3. How is this more effective than people donating money directly to charities that directly help solve world hunger?
4. Not a question but a challenge to all agencies. How about you commit, if all this charity work is out of the goodness of your heart, to NOT enter such campaigns into awards. That will sort out who is going it for humanity versus who is doing it for vanity. McCann will you commit to not entering this?
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Simon says needs to relax. A great idea from a top young creative team at McCann, bravo
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I think this is fabulous. 27,000 people waiting for a table at Noma!
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If I’m of the sect that could afford to dine at these establishments, and my reservation came about as a result of my having to compete with others for it; I would hope the irony of my paying over the odds for some food might, just might, contribute to a change in mindset and empower me (a financially well-off 1st-worlder) to rethink my approach to those whom this is trying to benefit.
Of course this won’t solve world hunger, or even make a huge dent in it, but if it can sway just a few more wealthy influential people to reconsider their charitable actions it’s definitely worth a shot.
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Great initiative!
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