Hutt St Centre
Concept Development, Production
Introduction
The Christmas holidays are one of the hardest times of the year for South Australians experiencing homelessness. Surrounded by cosy depictions of home — family time, laden tables and lavish gifts — feelings of loneliness and loss feel even more palpable.
For those without a home to go to on Christmas Day, Hutt St Centre opens theirs. They host a long-table lunch with all the trimmings, made merry with the company of their community. It’s a simple acknowledgement of what they call homefulness: the holistic impacts of having a place that so often go overlooked.
We sought to create a compelling, emotive campaign to amplify fundraising efforts over the Christmas season, to sponsor more seats at this event and to fund Hutt St Centre’s ongoing immediate-need and integrated support services.
We created Glimmer of Home, centred on a simple 15-second commercial where a streetlight and park bench transform into a Christmas tree and lively living room dinner scene. Consciously unembellished, it captured the earnest ask and promised impact to powerful effect.
Supporting assets similarly transformed lonely streetscapes into glimmers of home during the holidays — from a living room installation on the footpath of North Terrace, to a radio spot that transformed the hollow clinking of dropped change into a rendition Jingle Bells, with the tune’s notes played by sounds of homeful joy, including laughter, cutlery and scraping chairs.
The campaign earned Hutt St Centre a 58% year-on-year increase in income with a ROI of ~4.95, becoming the top-performing Christmas Appeal in the charity’s 72-year history.
“Working with the NATION team on our Christmas campaign was truly a collaborative experience. They brought the Glimmer of Home concept to life with creativity and insight, crafting a message that resonated with our supporters. The concept is simple, tangible, and flexible—perfect for use across channels and adaptable over the years. Their approach didn’t just deliver a campaign — it created a foundation we can continue to build on.”
Preetha Iyer, Team Leader, Fundraising