The ‘Little Rescuers’ is a campaign launched in Poland by the Volkswagen brand. It was aimed at school-age kids and their parents. Safety is one of the key values fundamental to the Volkswagen brand. The brand strives to care about the society and build within it responsible behaviors toward other people. Back in 2017 Volkswagen carried out a research on first-aid procedures. In the eyes of the majority of kids aged 6 to 9, the one who helps others and has the skills to apply rescue procedures and save others is a Superhero. Nearly 30% of parents are not able to offer any practical knowledge in providing first-aid. As many as 67% of parents claim their competences are not sufficient.
In an effort to make a change in these circumstances, the Polish team of Volkswagen has come up with the ‘Little Rescuers’ project. Its purpose was to propagate responsible social behaviors through educating the youngest in the area of first-aid. The project has brought about in them a crave for providing a selfless aid to others, give care and attentiveness. Owing to a specific nature of the group to which the communique has been sent, the campaign has evolved within such channels of communication as Internet, printed press, TV and social media, among others.
At pre-selected weekends of each summer holiday period over the last three years, one could bump into a special zone of Little Rescuers in 8 Polish seaside resorts – Świnoujście, Kołobrzeg, Dziwnów, Darłowo, Ustka, Gdańsk and Władysławowo. The kids transformed into superheroes and were trained on how to properly deliver first-aid procedures under a close eye of the professional team of medical rescuers. Each one who arrived at the Zone and succeeded in completing the training course was certified a Little Rescuer and a Super-Power Helping Hand, as well as was given an exceptional holiday prize. This year the Project’s Ambassadors were Paulina Krupińska, Kuba Wesołowski, Dorota Gardias, Iwona Cichosz as well as Małgorzata Ohme, a psychologist, and the authors of Makóweczki (Poppy-Heads) and SuperStyler blogs for young parents. This year, the brand was engaged for the first time in cooperation with Fundacja Echo (Echo Foundation), a charity supporting children with hearing disorders in their development process. Each kid trained is synonymous with a donation of 3 zloty for rehabilitation of the foundation’s wards.
As for communication, it was designed to ensure gradually. Before commencement of summer holidays a press conference had been organized and effectively held, in which we presented this year’s locations of the Zone, introduced new ambassadors and rules for supporting Fundacja Echo (Echo Foundation). The patronage of the project was covered by the TVN station, Bauer Publishing House and Onet. Each Sunday morning the TV presenter leading the Dzień Dobry TVN (Good Morning TVN) program, directly from the beach site invited parents to visit the Zone of Little Rescuers.
Throughout the project we run a press office, we did the positioning of its ambassadors in the media, and via the social media we encouraged vacationers to visit the Zone of a given location.
