Telecom Express delivers multi-project approach for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day 2011
Telecom Express (TE) is proud to announce its contribution to Comic Relief's most successful campaign in its 25 year history. Comic Relief raised an incredible £74.3 million during its recent Red Nose Day appeal on Friday 18th March.
Red Nose Day is the largest biennial charity event in the UK that culminates in a spectacular night of TV on the BBC. All the money raised by the public will be spent by Comic Relief to help transform the lives of poor and vulnerable people across the UK and Africa.
Telecom Express provided Comic Relief's main automated donation line (03457 910 910), which forms part of the huge network of lines enabling viewers to donate over the telephone during the live televised Red Nose Day event. Processing payments to PCI DSS level 1, Comic Relief are assured of a card processing system that provides their supporters with a secure payment route, and provides Comic Relief with the actual donations in minimal time. TE also managed the fundraising kit request line (0345 605 8000) which allowed callers to request a fundraising pack. The service allowed a quick turnaround of requests for packs from the public, with captured data transferred daily to Comic Relief for fulfilment. Telecom Express also utilitised its diverse skill base in Broadcast provision for several other Red Nose Day campaigns. TE provided the voting platforms for the BBC One's "Let's Dance for Comic Relief", which ran over four weekends in February and March. Viewers voted for a range of dancing stars including Katie Price, Lulu and Noel Fielding. An outrageous version of Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" by Russell Kane was eventually pipped to the post by James Thornton and Charlie Baker's technically brilliant tap dance.
TE also provided the mechanic for a unique vote across all BBC network radio stations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Live and 6 Music, in "Stand Up For Comic Relief". Each radio station nominated one presenter to be paired with a professional comedian for a period of coaching in the art of stand-up comedy. After a couple of weeks devising and practicing their stand-up routines, the contestants performed to a packed audience at London's famous Comedy Store. The presenters included Radio 1's Dev and Radio 2's Tony Blackburn, but they were defeated by the popular Jenny Murray from Radio 4 whom listeners voted for as the winner.
Radha Chakraborty, Operations Director of Comic Relief commented: "Telecom Express has managed our requirements to a very high level across the range of projects they were involved with for Red Nose Day 2011. Their experience and knowledge across a range of our key fundraising areas was invaluable".
Rob Ellis, Managing Director of TE said: "Telecom Express is delighted to have contributed to such a worthwhile and successful Comic Relief campaign. Our approach to media organisations is to be able to offer a diverse range of services to allow them to engage with audiences through the increasing number of user platforms and interactive channels. TE has demonstrated its expertise in managing a number of concurrent projects utilising this approach and we are proud to have helped Comic Relief have a record-breaking total this year".
About Telecom Express
Telecom Express specializes in developing and managing services that allow consumers to interact with newspapers, publications, TV and radio programmes, mobile sites and applications and websites.
Our core business is working as a trusted partner with clients across the public, private and third sectors supplying interactive services and content via fixed line and mobile telephony.
While our services are designed to generate substantial revenues for our media owner clients, we also enhance and optimize opportunities for consumer engagement through CRM and related marketing activity.
Every day, Telecom Express manages thousands of interactions across a host of different services. We work with most of the larger media organisations in the UK; our clients include News International (The Sun, News of the World, Times & Sunday Times), Trinity Mirror (Daily & Sunday Mirror, The People, Daily Record etc), The Telegraph, The Racing Post, Associated Newspapers (Daily Mail & Mail On Sunday), National Magazines Company (Cosmopolitan, Company, Good Housekeeping etc), IPC magazines (Chat, What's on TV, Marie Claire etc), Channel 5, BBC, The Disasters Emergency Committee and Comic Relief.
About Comic Relief
Comic Relief delivered another spectacular evening of top telly treats on Friday 18th March, as Red Nose Day 2011 entertained the nation while raising an incredible sum of money to help poor and vulnerable people in the UK and Africa. As the evening drew to a close £74,360,207 had been raised which is the highest total reached on the night in Red Nose Day's 23 year history.
Comic Relief was launched on Christmas Day in 1985, live on BBC One. At that time, a devastating famine was crippling Ethiopia and something had to be done. That something was Comic Relief. The idea was simple − Comic Relief would make the public laugh while they raised money to help people in desperate need. Before too long, Red Nose Day was created and the first ever event in 1988 raised a staggering £15m. To date, twelve Red Nose Days have raised more than £580m. That money has helped, and is helping, to support people and communities in dire need both in the UK and Africa.
Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland)
About Red Nose Day
Red Nose Day is a day like no other when the whole country gets together to do something funny for money and change countless lives in the process.
It all culminates in a night of cracking TV on the BBC with some of the biggest names in comedy and entertainment.
And the best bit? All the fun and mayhem helps to raise cash and transform lives across the UK and Africa.
For more information, visit: www.rednoseday.com
Telecom Express has managed our requirements to a very high level across the range of projects they were involved with for Red Nose Day 2011. Their experience and knowledge across a range of our key fundraising areas was invaluable.
Radha Chakraborty, Operations Director − Comic Relief.