Kooki to create campaign for Plan International
Childrens charity Plan International Australia has drafted PR consultancy Kooki to create a communications campaign – to highlight poverty issues in developing countries.
The announcement:
Plan International Australia has appointed media and public relations consultancy Kooki to join them in building a communications campaign to highlight issues of poverty and food security in developing countries.
The campaign will call on the local food, restaurant and catering industries, celebrity chefs and TV programs such as Masterchef, together with support from the media, to gather support and raise vital funds to assist in the ongoing struggle for food and survival in countries around the globe, particularly the African continent.
Director of Marketing & Communications for Plan in Australia, Aimee Suchard-Lowe said Kooki were chosen to work with Plan because of their strong networks in the food and wine industry alongside their experience with other NFP’s including SIDS and Kids Red Nose Day.
“Food, chefs, restaurants… they are all such currency in media terms today with the success of Masterchef and similar programs. What we want to do is harness this popularity and passion to tell a story that is perhaps not as palatable – but is certainly as important,” Ms Suchard-Lowe said.
“There is a real opportunity in Australia to redress the balance in chatter around food to highlight the fact that while we have the opportunity to enjoy food, there is a distinct lack of food in other parts of the world. We have already started our discussions with producers of MasterChef and events such as the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, and we are seeking further opportunities with food festivals and stakeholders within the food and catering industry to enhance this activity. This support will ultimately raise funds for Plan to allow us to distribute vital food to vulnerable children and communities in Africa. It will also enable Plan to work on longer term solutions for food availability.
The campaign will peak in March 2011, with appeal and community support planned in the lead up.
“Kooki will be an important part of our team that will pull together an integrated mix of direct marketing, CSA’s, publicity and online communications,” said Ms Suchard-Lowe.
Kooki Director Pete Dillon, a former Chef and host of food and wine show “Cravings” on Joy 94.9 in Melbourne said the main challenge will be getting media and industry support for a cause that has a degree of “media fatigue”.
“The reality is that people are starving in Africa, the situation is grave, yet less and less Australians are aware. We need donations now. We couldn’t think of a better time to engage Australians around their love of food to highlight a lack of it,” he said.
“It’s not about guilt, or sensationalism, it is about mindfulness. We spend so much on cookbooks, coffee and cuisine – just a couple of dollars would go so far to helping in the survival and continued food security of children and communities less fortunate.”
Source: Kooki press release
