THE CHALLENGE

Research commissioned on behalf of Sue Ryder revealed that 86% of people who have experienced a bereavement in the UK felt alone in their grief, with the primary reason being that those around them didn’t know what to say or do to help them (81%).  

Recognising that it can be a difficult to know how to support a loved one, Sue Ryder launched ‘Grief Kind’, a campaign which aims to equip people with the know-how and confidence to support friends and family through a bereavement, so that no one has to go through grief alone. 

Following a successful launch for ‘Grief Kind’, we were challenged to drive further engagement for the campaign through activations that could be brought to life regionally to directly engage with local communities, focussing on key cities including Leeds where Sue Ryder has an established presence – helping the charity to communicate with their existing supporters and in Brighton where they typically see less engagement, providing an opportunity to reach new audiences and supporters too.  

THE APPROACH

We knew that any successful campaign would need to be built around unique insights on bereavement and so our first step was to commission new research which found that almost three-quarters (72%) of people who have experienced bereavement skip meals because they don’t like eating alone. 

Using this research, we developed a new campaign that would align with the ‘Grief Kind’ messaging and encourage people to come together with their loved ones who have experienced a loss at mealtimes.  With Leeds being a priority region due to the location of one of Sue Ryders hospices, we decided to activate this campaign in Leeds city centre.    

‘The Empty Chair’ was an impactful installation that depicted a dining table set for dinner, but with chairs left empty for loved ones that have been lost. The build was placed in the centre of Leeds in close proximity to a Sue Ryder hospice to ensure we could reach relevant beneficiaries in the local area whilst also creating both a regional and national news moment that would build broader awareness of the issue.  

To amplify the campaign and add a human interest, Sue Ryder ambassadors, Lisa Riley and Lottie Tomlinson visited the installation to capture content for the media and their social channels too. 

Following the success of the Leeds activation, we began to plan for the next stage of the campaign, which was focused on helping the organisation to reach new audiences. Brighton was selected as a location where awareness of Sue Ryder is lower, as the charity doesn't have any hospices or charity shops in the region.  

Using research to power our ideation, this time our focus was on a stat that revealed that 69% of people are scared or embarrassed to talk about grief – something Sue Ryder desperately wants to change.  

To encourage more openness when approaching the topic of grief, we launched ‘To Be Honest’, which showcased that there isn’t a right or wrong way to grieve, as well as encouraging people to be honest about all the emotions they may be feeling.  

At the start of our campaign planning, we commissioned research to delve into how comfortable people are talking honestly about grief. The key insights we uncovered were:​ 

• Over two thirds (69%) of people are scared or embarrassed to talk about their true feelings around grief​ 
• Almost three quarters (74%) of people who have experienced a bereavement say their emotions around grief make them feel guilty on a weekly basis. ​ 
• A third of people said that they feel more comfortable communicating their feelings verbally, either over the phone, via voice note or video call.​ 

Armed with this intel. we finalised the concept for the visual centrepiece of our campaign - a unique telephone box for people who are grieving, installed on Brighton Seafront. Brighton was selected as an area where Sue Ryder wished to establish themselves, as they had less of a physical presence through shops and hospices. 

Sue Ryder’s ‘To Be Honest’ telephone box offered members of the public a safe space to share their honest feelings of grief, without judgement. 

Set up with a phone and quotes from others who have been open with their emotions about grief, people were encouraged to leave a message sharing their true feelings about their grief, in a similar way to leaving a voicemail. 

Our campaign call to action highlighted that there isn’t a right or wrong way to grieve, as well as encouraged people to be honest about all the emotions they may be feeling. 

THE RESULTS

The Grief Kind campaign has made a significant impact, both at a regional and national level. Within the first two weeks of launching ‘The Empty Chair’, we secured extensive media coverage, including 48 dedicated pieces – 12 of which included national publications such as BBC News Online, Mail Online, and a front-page cover and double page spread in the Sunday People as well as key regional titles including BBC Look North, which drove an influx of visitors to the installation the next day.  

The campaign content shared on Sue Ryder’s LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Facebook received 133,539 impressions – a notable increase in engagement for the charity and a 20% increase in Grief Kind webpage views during the launch week. 

‘To Be Honest’, achieved similarly impressive results, with 28 pieces of earned media coverage including Heart Radio, BBC Radio Sussex, and a local news bulletin on Good Morning Britain and 13 pieces of regional media coverage. 

Most importantly, the campaign resonated with members of the public. Numerous individuals engaged with the campaign by entering the phone box to leave a message and actively interacting with the Sue Ryder team. Additionally, many people shared their experiences and thoughts about the campaign on popular Brighton community Facebook groups, sparking discussions about grief within the local community. These outcomes align with Sue Ryder's core goal for the Grief Kind campaign, which aims to encourage individuals to support one another through the grieving process.