How Droga5 Dublin, Part of Accenture Song, and Samaritans Found Good Listeners to Save More Lives

‘The 26th Minute’, a campaign created for Dublin Samaritans by Droga5 Dublin, part of Accenture Song, carries an equal measure of power and purpose, and is based on a profound human truth – the idea that the best Samaritan volunteers are already out there, listening.

Built around the insight that the average Samaritans call lasts 26 minutes, the campaign targets audiences who are already proven listeners – podcast followers, football fans, and lovers of storytelling nights – and reaches them exactly 26 minutes into their listening experience.

This exercise resulted in a wave of new volunteers, a sharp uptick in awareness, and not least two Effie Awards (plus three Clios and a D&AD pencil) for a campaign with a modest media spend of €2,500. So, by positioning listening as the most powerful act of all, Droga5 helped close critical rota gaps for one of Ireland’s most vital support services.

However, ‘The 26th Minute’ goes beyond smart creative executions – it’s also an exemplary campaign for demonstrating what happens when strategy leans into constraints.

Today, LBB sits down with Shane Kelly, head of brand strategy at Droga5 Dublin and Olwyn Greene, director of awareness at Dublin Samaritans, to unpack the weight and meaning of the campaign.

LBB> Shane, where did the strategic insight for ‘The 26th Minute’ come from? What made you zero in on listening as the key trait?

Shane> We spent a lot of time talking to volunteers and going through onboarding training materials, and that emphasis on attentive listening came through consistently. We didn’t want the campaign to become a big, worthy call to ‘step up’, so we felt this emphasis on listening gave us a good way to make volunteering feel like a natural pivot for keen listeners of long-form, personal content.

We knew the average call was 26 minutes, so our insight was that lots of podcast and storytelling night fans were already practicing the key skill of a Samaritan: listening intently for 26 minutes plus.

LBB> When you first heard about ‘The 26th Minute’ campaign, what was your immediate reaction? Did it feel like a natural fit for the Samaritans brand and mission?

Olwyn> The lovely, friendly faces of the team at Droga5 presented their idea of ‘The 26th Minute' campaign (which was for podcasts initially) and I was stunned – it was absolutely brilliant.

I thought it was so clever, subtle and so beautifully simple, almost like 'stealth bombing’. It wasn't an ad – it was someone tapping into the asset of podcast listeners, and that ‘listening’ audience is exactly who we want to be volunteers. So I can't tell you how excited and pleased I was.

LBB> What challenges were you facing at the time that made this campaign feel especially urgent or necessary?

Olwyn> As Dublin Samaritans provides a 24-hour free phone helpline, we always need volunteers to answer the phone 24/7. We were facing a growing challenge of ‘red gaps’ on our rota (periods of time when we’re short of volunteers), and to keep our helpline free and open, we needed to recruit more people from all walks of life, of all ages and genders, to join us as listening volunteers.

LBB> How did you go about identifying the right cultural moments to insert this idea into? Things like podcasts, football commentaries, or storytelling events?

Shane> The idea was to create a bespoke media moment, 26 minutes in, that pointed out the potential Samaritan in keen listeners, so we looked for the most leaned-in, intentional listening environments.

We started with partnerships with the podcast group HeadStuff and the storytelling night Seanchoíche, before testing live concerts and radio commentary of televised football matches. All of our partners were great to work with, and because each of them also recognised the simple power of the idea, they were all really keen to get on board as soon as we pitched it to them.

LBB> The campaign used real-time listening moments, from podcasts to football commentaries. Were there any particular activations that stood out to you personally?

Olwyn> Targeting captive audiences was important, not only for recruiting volunteers, but also for raising awareness of the service which Samaritans offers: the fact that we’re there 24/7 to listen to people who may be struggling or in difficulty.

Communicating through the football commentaries was inspirational, because we do have a problem in this country with the number of young men who maybe don't talk about their worries, or who in some unfortunate cases go on to take their own lives. We need to reach out to them, to let them know we are always there in Samaritans. This action did that.

LBB> Was it a challenge to balance creativity with the sensitivity of the subject matter?

Shane> Definitely, but both the simplicity of the idea and the way it only ever surfaced in such a specific context helped to keep us clear of any missteps.

LBB> You saw a 250% increase in volunteer applications on a fairly modest budget! What did that kind of impact mean for your team and the people you support?

Olwyn> The increase in interest was incredible - we never dreamt of results of that magnitude. That such a simple campaign could stir so much interest in people was truly amazing.

LBB> What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in bringing this campaign to life, especially on such a limited budget?

Shane> There was a lot to coordinate between lots of great partners, but very little time. We also needed to guide a new client through an unprecedented leap, as this was a first-of-its-kind campaign for them. Because of all that, I wouldn’t feel great about a ‘look behind the work’ that didn’t big up the campaign’s project management and client group leads, Caitríona and Hilary, both of whom made all of the above feel very routine.

LBB> This is a campaign that clearly prioritises purpose as much as performance. How do you define success in work like this?

Shane> As it was all about recruiting enough people to help keep a great service going around the clock, purpose and performance were very much wrapped up in each other. That really simplified all strategic, creative and partner reviews.

Because of that focus on impact we were really proud of the success recruiting volunteers, and then to see the work recognised with two Effie Awards, as well as the creative recognition we’ve gotten internationally through the Clio and D&AD awards.

LBB> What have you learned from this project that you'll carry into future campaigns?

Shane> I think it’s really interesting how the process was very open and messy in a good way. The shift towards more project-based work in the industry has made most things these days a very condensed sprint by default. Without much room for things to evolve; you lose out on big gains through iteration.

I don’t know their backstories, but I do notice that a lot of Gold Effie winners this year and in recent years have been for not-for-profit clients. They can tend to be the projects that give agencies more space to explore different ways to work things out, and get to work at a better tempo than a sprint. It’s just a hunch, but it does seem like there’s a relationship between space to experiment and the impact of the final product, so I’ll definitely keep advocating for that space, whoever the client is.

LBB> What has stayed with you most from this campaign?

Olwyn> The whole experience with Droga5 has been a joy; I’ve loved every minute and every meeting. But what will stay with me most is the clever idea; the wonderful team; their interest in the subject; their understanding of what we do; the hard work, passion and determination which they put into the campaign; and the simple fact that they just “got us”.

LBB> If you had to sum up what made this campaign work, what would you say?

Shane> Client / agency cohesion.