Dipping back into door drops
Red Nose Day 2025 marked 40 years of Comic Relief, with millions donning red noses and tuning into the iconic TV show to raise money for communities in need. Keen to diversify their media mix, Comic Relief wanted to revisit door drops – a channel they hadn’t used in five years and had struggled to make work historically. The goal was twofold: boost brand awareness to support other fundraising channels like TV and online, while also driving direct donations via post. They needed a smart strategy to ensure this time, door drop could finally deliver meaningful results.
Discovering donors
We developed a targeted door drop campaign telling Millicent’s inspiring story – her journey from HIV diagnosis in South Africa to mentoring mothers and helping families manage life-threatening conditions. The creative also celebrated 40 years of Comic Relief with a nostalgic timeline of images. Using donor data, Mosaic, and TGI sources, we built a model to rank UK postal sectors by likelihood to respond. To further sharpen targeting, we added Herdify’s behavioural science overlay, identifying communities with strong word-of-mouth influence. This dual approach minimised wastage and ensured Comic Relief’s door drop packs reached households most likely to engage and donate.
Results relief
The campaign smashed expectations. Door drops raised £819,739 from 24,991 donors, delivering an ROI of 3.90 against a 1.01 target. Cost per donor was just £8 versus a forecast of £40. Remarkably, 59% of donors were brand new to Comic Relief, and gift aid opt-in hit 83%, far above the 50% industry norm. The Herdify overlay proved highly effective, with higher-scoring areas generating stronger response rates. Beyond direct income, the campaign boosted awareness and channel integration, cementing door drops as a high-performing tactic. Comic Relief now plans to continue using the channel, with bigger ambitions for Red Nose Day 2026.
