Campaign Learning Objective 1

5.1: Understand the nature and purpose of campaigns.
Children in Need Campaign
-The main message behind Children in Need is to raise lots of money for disadvantaged children living in the UK. They aim to help all under 18's realise their full potential, despite their home or life circumstances. The children they help include young carers, runaways or children with disabilities or life-threatening illnesses. They operate all year round  but the huge fundraiser they hold every year helps raise millions for the charity. The trustees include  Stevie Spring (chief executive of Future plc), Tim Davie (BBC Director of Audio and Music), charity workers like Peter McBride (Group Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health) and Sir Terry Wogan, the nationally renowned TV and radio presenter who has been the face of the TV marathon since it first aired in 1980. He has since become the Life President of the charity.

Every year the website comes up with lots of different fudraisers and tries to inspire people to donate in different ways. This year they launched a huge Get Baking campaign to inspire people to hold bake sales and make delicious Pudsey Bear cakes and biscuits for Children in Need. There are also ideas on how to use arts and crafts; by drawing, painting or making something artistic to raise money.
The Children in Need campaign also uses Pudsey Bear and Blush, the two mascots, to raise money; they sell Pudsey and Blush products such as keyrings, bear ears and T-shirts. This is effective as the bears are so associated with the charity and are very cute so customers will buy them so they can feel they're 'treating themselves' while also donating to a good cause.

Another successful fundraising technique is the huge TV appeal every November. The most recent one was hosted by Terry Wogan, Tess Daly and Fearne Cotton. It is watched by millions nationwide and every year countless celebrities, TV shows and touching appeals are involved. Popular TV shows such as 'Merlin', 'Strictly Come Dancing', 'Eastenders', 'Coronation Street' and 'Dragon's Den' all host special one-off episodes to try and convince the viewers watching at home to donate. Special music performances on the night from musicians like Cheryl Cole, Pixie Lott, Ellie Goulding, The Script, Take That, Alexandra Burke, The Saturdays, McFly, Susan Boyle and Peter Andre aim to not only make the programme enjoyable to watch, by reading out the donation number they show the public that they support the campaign and are asking others to get behind it; because they are celebrities people look up to them and obviously if someone famous is supporting it it must be a good thing. In between the fun there are always videos from children that the money is going towards; children who are disabled, seriously ill or abused share their stories to pull on people's heartstrings and show how the money is making a difference for the better. These are also designed to get more people to donate.
Every year a top music artist or band release a Children in Need single-this year it's a song called 'Love You More' by JLS. All the money received from the single's sales go to Children in Need and these factors usually result in the song getting to number 1-yet more donations to the charity.

This campaign has been extremely successful. It was first started in 1927 on a small, 5 minute long radio transmission on Christmas Day and received £1,143 18s 3d which was split between 4 children's charities. The first televised appeal the 'Children's Hour Christmas Appeal' was broadcast on Christmas Day and was hosted by Harry Corbett and Sooty-these Christmas appeals continued on radio and TV until 1979. In 1980 the telethon format was introduced and was an instant success. The idea was conceived by Mark Patterson, who late became Executive Producer for 9 years. Now it has become one of the biggest television events of the year and in 2009 a total of £39 million was raised.