A digital billboard at an international airport showed a loaf of bread with a card reader built into the screen. When a traveller swiped a credit card down the middle, the card appeared to slice the loaf. At the same moment, €2 left their account to pay for a daily meal for a family in Peru.
The Problem Misereor Faced
Misereor is the development and relief agency of Germany’s Catholic bishops, funding self-help projects in poorer countries. Like many charities, it was dealing with falling donations.
Street fundraising asks a lot of a stranger. A collection box needs cash that fewer people carry. A fundraiser with a clipboard needs time and personal details. Misereor wanted a way to give that took a second and felt worth doing.
Hamburg agency Kolle Rebbe said its objective was to devise “a solution that was both entertaining and innovative.”
What Happened When a Card Went Through
The billboard was built from LCD panels with a card reader fitted into the gap between them. One version showed a loaf of bread. A swipe charged €2 and played a short film in which the card seemed to cut a slice from the loaf.
The second version showed the bound hands of an imprisoned child in the Philippines. The same swipe appeared to cut through the ropes and free them.
Each execution tied the physical gesture to the result of the gift. The donor was not watching someone else help. Their own card did the cutting, and the message landed in a second, a €2 donation can make a difference.
Inside the Screen
Making it feel instant took careful engineering. “All processes connected with the donation had to be synchronised,” said Sascha Hanke of Kolle Rebbe. “When the card is swiped, a secure process quickly authenticates it and, in a split second, activates a film sequence on screen.”
Why Airports
The billboards launched at international airports in January 2014. Travellers there tend to have time on their hands; they walk past at a slower pace, and they are used to paying by card. The terminals also put the billboards in front of a wide mix of people whose cards work anywhere.
What Donors Found on Their Next Bill
The swipe was only the first step. When donors received their credit card bill, they found a request from Misereor to turn the one-off gift into a monthly donation.
That follow-up gave an airport impulse a second chance. A traveller who gave once in a terminal was reminded of it at home, with a simple way to keep giving.
What a €2 Swipe Added Up To
More than 1,000 people swiped in the first month, raising over €3,000 in one-off donations. The bigger number came from the follow-up. Misereor recorded a 23% year-on-year increase in donors making 3 or more subsequent donations.
What the Award Juries Thought
The Social Swipe won a Silver Lion in Use of Media at Cannes Lions 2014. It was also recognised at the 2015 D&AD Awards.
The billboard asked for a gesture people make every day, and then let the credit card bill do the asking a second time.
Campaign Name: The Social Swipe
Agency Name: Kolle Rebbe, Hamburg
Brand Name: Misereor
Location: Germany, international airports (January 2014)
