Trussell

Charity Campaign | Anti-poverty | Creative Stunt

The Hardship Times

As the UK’s cost-of-living crisis deepens, Trussell wants to highlight the growing reliance on food banks and demand government action to fix the broken social security system. Our challenge was to create a campaign that would amplify the voices of food bank users and volunteers while capturing the attention of policymakers and the public.

The image shows a newspaper on a sofa, with a green background on the front cover. It has text on it that reads 'Together we can end hunger and hardship'

Creative concept development

We reimagined advocacy through The Hardship Times, a striking newspaper-style campaign that blended storytelling and hard-hitting data to bring the realities of food insecurity into sharp focus. Each page was designed to make policymakers pause, reflect and act.

A center fold of a newspaper, showing information from different branches of Trussell. The ones featured are Belfast and Cardiff, and have photos showing people working to hand out food, or sort through shelves.

Storytelling on the ground

Over the summer, we hit the road, visiting food banks across the UK to listen and capture powerful, raw stories. From the resilience of individuals navigating hunger to the dedication of volunteers holding communities together, these voices became the heart and soul of the campaign.

Three women are gathered around a table with a piece of paper on it. They are using coloured pens to write on the paper.

There is a collection of foods - some are in packets, cans, bottles and bags. It includes things like noodles, tuna, biscuits and beans.

Someone is holding up a piece of paper which reads 'Stories of hope'. It has information on it to help people encourage other people to open up about their stories

There is a sheet of paper that is slightly crumpled. It has writing across it in different colours, and in the middle it reads 'Living costs more than universal credit provides'

A social post which shows a woman sorting through shelves at a food bank. She is wearing a green jacket. Over the top of the image there is text that reads 'Everyone should have enough money to cover the essentials'

A social post shows a man wearing a cap is smiling at the camera. Over the top of the image there is text that reads 'Food banks shouldn't exist. No one should be without food'

A social post shows a green background with text over the top of it that reads 'More than 1.4 million emergency food parcels were provided in just 6 months'

Two people are sorting through the shelves at a foodbank. They are slightly blurry - to show that they are moving quickly around the space.

Activation at Westminster

The campaign culminated in an impactful launch outside Parliament, where The Hardship Times was handed directly to MPs alongside digital ad vans circling Westminster showcasing raw, emotional interviews.

Integrated media campaign

A Westminster tube station takeover featured the faces and voices of those impacted, while celebrity supporters like Stanley Tucci, Joanna Lumley, Bill Nighy, and AJ Odudu lent their voices to call for urgent action.

An image of a group of women, sat on a wall. They are all reading the newspaper, which has a green image on the front of it.

In black and white, someone is holding a stack of newspapers very tightly. You can't see their face - just their hands and the papers. In the background is a street or road crossing.

Someone is holding up a newspaper, with Big Ben in the background. The paper has a green background on the front page, and text that reads 'Together we can end hunger and hardship'

Two vans drive over Westminster bridge, towards big ben. They have a video playing on the back of one, and are covered in slogans like 'Together we can end hunger and hardship'

GETTING Results

• Celebrity endorsements included Stanley Tucci, Stephen Fry, Joanna Lumley, Bill Nighy, and AJ Odudu.

• Generated widespread media coverage in The Guardian, BBC, and The Independent.

• MPs across the UK received The Hardship Times, connecting them with firsthand accounts of hunger.

• Received heartfelt feedback from food bank users and volunteers who felt seen and supported by the campaign.

• Highlighted by key influencers on social media, expanding reach and impact further.

Working with If Not Now was an absolute pleasure. They were warm, relational, and truly aligned with our values, making collaboration between our teams easy and enjoyable.

Their organisation and agility ensured a smooth process on what was a complex project, and their creativity and design skills helped us to powerfully showcase our stories. We couldn’t have asked for a better agency to work with.”

- Rachel Lees, Trussell