Theft costs British society an estimated £9.5 billion per year. Many of these opportunistic crimes can be easily avoided if people take simple preventative measures. The challenge was to find a single campaign idea that could motivate a core target audience most at risk of crime and demonstrate measures they could take to prevent it. Using a single, humorous campaign idea, executed through TV, radio and print, the strategy was to dramatise how thieves saw their victims as stupidly careless. The campaign reduced the cost of crime to the taxpayer by £189 million and generated a payback of £14 per every £1 spent.

Judge’s comment

Acquisition Crime was a great campaign that used clever research and media and exhibited proof that was overwhelming. It was nice to see a change of approach in the way crime is tackled; the strategy was to use humour instead of fear to prevent opportunistic crime.

Dan Cobley, marketing director, UK, Ireland and Benelux, Google