Charity Advertising
Nowhere is performance more critical than in the charity sector.
We’ve worked with numerous UK & international charities, producing DRTV commercials and video content that supports wider marketing campaigns.
We’re used to shooting new footage cost-effectively, as well as creating fresh content from extensive internal libraries of existing footage.
Every cause has real people and sensitive subjects behind them, so we tell their stories with dignity and respect.
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Specialists in creating TV commercials for charities
Charity adverts are one of the most powerful tools available for driving support and making a real difference.
They don’t just raise awareness of a cause — they inspire action, stir emotions, and connect audiences to the people and communities in need.
A well-crafted charity advert has the power to secure vital donations, rally volunteers, and amplify your message far beyond your immediate network.
Charity Advertising Agency
- Charity TV Commercials
- Charity Direct Response TV Advertising (DRTV)
- Charity Brand Response TV Advertising (BRTV)
- Charity Stories
- Charity Fundraising Videos
- Charity Awareness Videos
- Creative Strategy & Scriptwriting
- Full Production & Post Production
- Clearcast Clearance & Distribution
British Red Cross
Campaign: Emergency response DRTV campaigns for high-profile sudden onset emergencies driving a cash ask.
Insight: The charity was missing out on the first 48-hour window of emergency fundraising.
Solution: We are one of two rostered TV agencies to provide BRC with Emergency DRTV Appeals. We created a unique & bespoke post-production process that allows TV to be on within a 24 or 48 hour window (emergency depending).
Results: Beirut appeal raised £80k (SMS & Tel) in 14 days and c.£160k from associated online. Overall BRC estimate it generated £200k+, cash only. Ukraine TV ”set some records for its opening 4weeks”: £200k in media spend had generated over £800k cash only.
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Crohn's & Colitis
Campaign Integration: We developed a standout, TV-led campaign for CCUK as part of the wider #CUTTHECRAP initiative. To maximise impact with a younger audience, we created tailored versions of the core TV creative for use across all integrated channels. The result was a bold, distinctive AV toolkit that ensured consistency, reach, and resonance across every touchpoint.
Results: +28% above target on symptom checker completions and +259% increase in Snapchat swipe-up rate.
Help for Heroes
Campaign: An inclusive and authentic brand film bringing to life the evolved Veterans War brand platform, for use across multiple channels over the next 2-3 years.
Challenge: We need to show that veterans are not fighting this war because they are veterans. It’s because society is failing veterans.
Solution: Reframing ‘The Veteran’s War’. Three-pronged approach: 1) Empower the individual. 2) Spotlight personal sacrifice. 3) Trigger a sense of duty.
Crisis
Challenge: To build awareness and consideration among a wider audience, that Crisis is a charity worthy of a legacy gift, and that they are not solely a Christmas cause.
Insight: Brand recognition is lower outside of Christmas, so we needed to ensure what we were building on any existing perceptions, presenting the brand consistently and making it clear it was the same charity as the one they see over the festive season.
This is a legacy campaign – but it’s not about shifting people’s perceptions of homelessness or persuading them to write their will. Instead our aim was focused on communicating with people who already share Crisis’ values around homelessness and are near the life stage to be writing or updating their will.
Working with Happy Hour was a great experience. They understood that working on Charity DRTV meant trying to be cost effective, not just keeping costs down.
I hadn't had a great deal of experience with DRTV at the time, but Happy Hour made sure that I was involved throughout pre-production, shooting and editing and could make the important decisions to get the most out of the campaign.
All the team at Happy Hour were a dream to work with! You got our vision, added huge creativity and delivered on time and to budget! Thank you to you all - it is wonderful to see this live!
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Happy Hour are great to work with, very professional and proactive in their approach to working, offering up good ideas and solutions on how to achieve our project goals.
The team at Happy Hour are a breath of fresh air for a creative agency… approachable, friendly, helpful and organised! A safe pair of hands for any creative job no matter how big or small, we’d be keen to work with them again on another project in the future.”
FAQs
How much does it cost to produce a TV commercial?
To produce a TV commercial, costs vary from around £20k for a simple 30 second TV commercial to £300k or more for adverts with bigger costs, multiple locations, well-known faces and soundtracks or advanced visual effects.
To make your budget work harder, creating a suite of TV ads at the same time will always work out more cost effective – not to mention ensuring a strong cohesive campaign for the months, year or even years ahead.
Bigger budgets generally open up more creative possibilities and higher levels of production quality. But brands can create highly effective advertising at any price point.
No matter what your budget is, TV advertising is proven to be one of the most cost-effective ways of growing your brand, with the biggest reach of any media channel.
How much should I budget for media costs for TV advertising?
Media is usually the biggest cost associated with TV advertising. A rule of thumb some advertisers use is the 80/20 split – where 80% of their overall budget is spent on media and 20% on production.
However, this is quite a traditional approach and many brands now spend much more of their budget on production. This is because higher quality adverts are more likely to get shared on social media, essentially earning free media impressions.
At Happy Hour, we work with media agencies to get the most value from your media budget - and we’d be very happy to make an introduction if you don’t have a media agency already.
What are the full costs involved with TV advertising?
To factor in all costs for a TV advertising campaign, you need to allow for your media spend and the cost of creating and producing your commercials.
We'd also recommend allowing additional budget to re-edit your TV commercial to create additional assets such as social media content, digital ads and digital OOH. Using variations of the same content across multiple channels is a good way to get more value for money. Developing an integrated campaign also gets your brand seen by more people in more places.
Depending on the talent used in your ad, you may also need to factor in ongoing usage costs too, all of which will of course be discussed and agreed upfront.
Which TV advertising agency is best?
The three most important factors to consider when selecting a TV advertising agency are quality, experience and cultural fit.
Quality may be in the eye of the beholder, but successful agencies will back up their showreels with proof of effectiveness. The easiest way to spot a good agency is one whose clients stay with them for a long time.
Experience is hugely important as TV advertising requires more specialist knowledge, skillsets and equipment than other forms of marketing.
Cultural fit can be hard to quantify but is often the most important factor. Creating a TV advert is a significant investment – and is more likely to succeed if you’re working with like-minded, passionate and capable people.
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