On the Edge: The Salvation Army Canada

Chinese Radio Show
The Salvation Army Canada
Submitted by Grizzard Communications Group

It’s no secret that raising money among the Asian community is challenging, especially for non-Asian organizations raising money for non-Asian-specific causes. In 2012, the Salvation Army Canada set out to
increase awareness of its organization in — and to begin generating support from — Toronto’s Chinese community, which accounts for roughly 20 percent of the population.

The first step was to reach out and emphasize shared values such as deep respect for the elderly, a commitment to family and caring for those in need. It did that through its Celebrate Canada’s Tradition of Caring campaign that involved Chinese-language radio ads; magazine, newspaper and other space ads; and free-standing inserts — all of which included the well-known Salvation Army colors and logos, images representing the Chinese community, and copy in both English and Chinese.

An integrated, multichannel campaign of this magnitude is a challenge in and of itself, but adding the multilingual element made this a truly edgy campaign that laid a foundation of cooperation and support within the Chinese-Canadian community.