Connections, the e-commerce inserts arm of The Specialist Works, Denmaur Paper Media and Go Inspire Group have all donated their services and products to support the National Emergencies Trust and insert 1.5m flyers into parcel deliveries from online retailers including Bloom & Wild, Hello Fresh, Debenhams and Toucan Box.
According to Simon Hartlett, innovations director at Go Inspire Eclipse, the entire project from initial idea to completion took less than seven days.
“The way it came about was Peter Clark [head of print solutions] at The Specialist Works (TSW) approached us and asked if we would be interested in doing a million plus media inserts for free for charities, and then we approached Denmaur, who are suppliers to us and TSW.”
TSW supplied the creative, media planning, buying and distribution, and Denmaur, in partnership Burgo’s Ardennes Mill, supplied and carbon-balanced eight tonnes of FSC-certified 150gsm Amadeus Gloss. The 1,020mm-wide Cutstar reels were then printed on Eclipse’s five-back-five Speedmaster 106 and converted to A5 flyers at its Kettering site.
Denmaur CEO Mike Gee said: "This collaborative effort is an exemplary demonstration of how paper, print and media continue to provide a highly relevant platform for communications."
All three firms, which have regularly worked together on commercial projects, supplied all of their products and services free of charge.
Hartlett said the first conversations about the project started last Friday (27 March) and the flyers are already printed and ready to go.
The first deliveries of the 1.5m inserts to the fulfillment depots will start next Tuesday with the campaign expected to last three to four weeks.
The aim of the campaign is to drive online donations to the National Emergencies Trust, which works with local charities and organisations to quickly distribute financial help in times of domestic disaster.
Parry Jones, The Specialist Works chief operating officer said: "It's in the worst of times that you see the best in people and we are hugely grateful to our partners in helping us deliver this vital campaign.”
This was echoed by Go Inspire Group CEO Patrick Headley: "We all need to do what's in our power to promote aid for those that need it most at this time. We can connect with people by putting a physical message directly into their hands.
“The fact that print is a media that does get read, not only by the immediate recipient but those sharing the same household, means that we hope this will raise a considerable sum of much-needed cash for such a worthwhile cause."
