BIJL PR WINNER OF TWO SABRE AWARDS

Two campaigns by Bijl PR were awarded at the international Sabre Awards. The campaign for Pleegzorg Nederland (Dutch Foster Care Association), that we developed together with DEARDAN & Friends to shed light on the urgent need for more foster parents, was deemed the winner in the ‘not-for-profit’ category. Our campaign for the Hartstichting (Dutch Heart Foundation) that raised awareness for the importance of AEDS and ‘burgerhulpverlening’ (a system of civilian first aid volunteers) was chosen as the best campaign of the Benelux. Bijl PR received a total of four nominations.

Dutch Foster Care Association sounds the alarm

Fact: there is an acute shortage of foster parents. So how can we recruit more of them? Befriended agency DEARDAN & Friends asked us to generate attention in earned media for the campaign for Pleegzorg Nederland. Our goal: find 700 new foster parents. During Foster Care Week, starting at the end of October 2019, we launched the ‘Open je Wereld’ (Open Your World) campaign. We mapped out the urgency of the problem by using national as well as regional data. We also demonstrated how the lives of both children and foster parents are enriched by foster care, and showed people that there are many different ways to be a foster parent. By using a smart strategy and approach, we generated massive regional and national media attention. And even better, and, more importantly: in the span of half a day, Pleegzorg Nederland received 300 new information requests.

Doubling the change at survival after a stroke with more AEDs

Every year, 17,000 people suffer from a stroke outside of the hospital. CPR and the use of an AED within 6 minutes of the stroke ensures the best chance at survival. The Dutch Heart Foundation ultimately wants to be able to help everyone in the Netherlands within 6 minutes after a stroke. Bijl PR worked alongside the Dutch Heart Foundation to raise awareness for the importance of a ‘6 minute zone’, getting people to become civil volunteers, and activating neighborhoods, organizations and companies to get an AED, and save more lives. One of the outcomes of the campaign was an enormous increase in AEDs throughout the Netherlands. We were able to achieve this in collaboration with Philips and Triple Double.

All nominations

Just because the campaigns mentioned above happened to have been awarded, doesn’t mean we’re not proud of our other two nominations for the Sabre Awards as well. Our work for the Dutch Veterans Institute, where we shed a different, more personal light on veterans and the human being behind the uniform with the help of continuous PR and storytelling, was nominated too. And on top of that, Bijl PR was one of three agencies nominated for Benelux PR Consultancy of the Year. A great compliment for our team, that made this nomination possible through their hard work and determination.