Something to Smile About

For years, Shawyer says, Operation Smile had been using the same two-color acquisition control package with good results. Its challenge was to develop a new creative approach that would beat the old control and fit the organization’s very tight budget.

It partnered with Pasadena, Calif.-based agency Russ Reid to produce a simple and inexpensive — yet compelling — 6-inch-by-9-inch, four-color package that featured a child’s tearful face on the outside and unfolded to reveal that same child’s stunning after-surgery story and photo. The piece included a get-well card, and donors were asked to send the card back to children that had undergone surgery, along with a contribution.