After adopting a more sombre approach for its 2010 annual fundraising calendar, the National Advertising Benevolent Society (NABS) has deemed 2011 a “year of celebration.”
NABS has announced that the theme for next year’s calendar, its fifth, will be “Birthdays.” The calendar will be produced by Toronto agency The Hive, which will provide the concept, interactive and design services on a pro-bono basis.
“We’re pumped to be working with NABS on this year’s calendar,” said The Hive’s vice-president and chief creative officer Simon Creet, in a release. “The theme of birthdays was chosen to send a little cheer to the people of the ad community not on the occasion of their promotion or gold award or new business win, but on the occasion of their birth.”
Twelve agencies each made a $3,000 donation to secure a month in the 2011 calendar, and provided a customized image in support of the “Birthdays” theme: Agency 59; Cundari; Draftfcb; DDB Toronto; Greaves & Allen Advertising Studios; Grip Limited; The Hive; McDonnell Haynes Advertising; Publicis; Scratch Marketing; Sharpe Blackmore Euro RSCG and TBWA.
After a tough couple of years, NABS president and CEO Mike Fenton said it was time to take a fun and more personal approach with this year’s calendar, and asked The Hive to somehow link the birthday theme and calendar to a digital application.
In response, the agency will create a Facebook page that invites members of the ad community to share their birthdays and send e-cards to friends.
Other in-kind donations were provided by printer Colour Innovations and paper agency Huge Paper.
More than 17,000 copies of the calendar will be distributed to Canadian communications professionals beginning with Advertising Week, which takes place Jan. 24-28.
The annual calendar, which provides a detailed listing of industry events, will generate more than $30,000 for NABS, bringing the five year total to more than $150,000, said Fenton.
NABS provides assistance to Canadian advertising and professionals who need help because of illness, injury, unemployment or financial difficulties.
