May 14, 2009 Salvation Army's edgy new marketing campaign Play video

(NECN: Marnie MacLean, Portland, Maine) - People in Portland, Maine are seeing a lot of red this week. On chairs, coffee cups, even bathroom mirrors.

It's all part of an edgy new marketing campaign for The Salvation Army. Donations are down, and the organization says it needed a way to move beyond red kettles and kick start donations.

The Salvation Army doesn't have a brand problem, you see a red kettle you know where the money is going---but across the board, donations are down.

Craig Evans: "We have been lagging significantly behind previous years, 20-30 percent of income."

And while donations are down, need is up. More people are coming to the salvation army for help with food, shelter and their other services.

To keep those services going....the organization needed to find a way to bring in money outside of the holiday season.

Craig: "The salvation army has not invested heavily in marketing or advertising, pride ourselves on good stewardship...83 cents of every dollar going back to services."

So, the Salvation Army took a big step out of its conservative comfort zone and went to Portland based Via Marketing. They asked Via to help them create a campaign--for free---to reach a new audience. Via said yes.

Greg Smith: "They let us be provocative, and think outside the box....and with that chemistry came up with a cool idea"

That idea: guerrilla marketing.

For the next two weeks people in and around

Portland are going to be hit hard with the Salvation Army message when they eat pizza or have a cup of coffee or visit the ladies room at local restaurants.

In this campaign even a dirty car window becomes a place to advertise, this is the view people in Portland will have as ride down the roads"

Mike Irvine--Copy Editor: "We embraced the idea that we had no money--and so that's where the idea started, let's do a campaign that cost nothing"

They asked local businesses to offer the space, and nearly 50said yes.

"Watching these guys run around and do what they are doing to get the message across has been phenomenal, been inspiring, if we can spread that, it's great"

The creative team wanted to increase awareness of the Salvation Army while staying true to the organization's mission that the money should go to services, not advertising.

The campaign has just been rolled out...but business owners say customers are paying attention.

Dave Tucci--Portland Pie Co. "A lot of people have come in and say that's cool...that's different"

And while the Salvation Army concedes, it's a little edgy--it actually takes the organization back to its roots when it started in the late 1800's.

"I look back at our origins, we started as a street ministry and sort of a guerrilla movement, why not use these guerrilla tactics...it's a good fit."

But will it translate to more money? The Salvation Army certainly hopes so---but for now, its happy to get its message out in a new way to a younger audience---red kettles, make room for red rocks--and hopefully a new generation of salvation army donors.