Emmaus Hampshire provides a unique solution to homelessness, providing vibrant and thriving social enterprise community that provides a home and meaningful work experience to homeless individuals to secure their entry back into society.
The charity, a long-term client, asked us to support the manager of its Eastleigh upcycled furniture store who wanted to raise the profile of Emmaus and link its aims to the local community. Emmaus also wanted to increase footfall during the summer holiday when the town centre can be quieter than at other times of the year.
What we did for them
We devised a window campaign at the Leigh Road charity shop to celebrate Eastleigh’s community spirit.
360 commissioned a series of window posters based on historic photos in the collection of Eastleigh and District Local History Society. Two different posters hung in the store window each week of the summer holiday. The posters enhanced the store front and created a changing reason to stop at Emmaus Hampshire Eastleigh whenever people passed by.
The PR material for the campaign was shared through local media and 360 worked with Eastleigh BID and the borough council communications team to spread the word throughout the town. We encouraged residents to share their own stories about the history and growth of the town, particularly relating to the development of community and solidarity with others.
Results
The campaign resulted not just in greater footfall but enhanced sales, including the store’s most successful sales week for three years. Many shoppers shared their own family stories with the Emmaus Companions in store. The next phase will be an event to launch a more permanent internal exhibition of the photographs.