Fonix is delighted to announce that it will continue to power SMS donations for both Red Nose day and Sport Relief over the next two years. The contract renewal is testament to the great collaboration between the two companies and is a fantastic opportunity for Fonix and Comic Relief to further drive innovation and help to make a difference to the lives of millions of people around the world.
On the 19th of March, Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day returned with the ‘Share A Smile’ initiative. The live show ran from 7pm to 10pm featuring comedy, live music performances and celebrity sketches, as well as highlighting the positive impact previous donations have had on people’s lives both at home and abroad.
The build-up to the 2021 live show followed some truly inspirational stories, like that of 21 year old Billy Monger, a Professional racing driver and double-leg amputee. Viewers followed his gruelling triathlon-inspired challenge over the course of four days and were able to donate via SMS specifically to the Billy campaign. In doing so they helped raised over £2 million towards the fantastic £52 million total announced at the end of the live show on Friday.
During the telethon the new £40 SMS donation price point was promoted, accounting for the highest proportion of SMS donations generated that evening. Also new to the 2021 campaign was the Great Comic Relief Prizeathon, which aired after the telethon and rounded off the evenings events.
This unique show offered viewers the chance to win four fantastic prizes, with the option to give a voluntary £10 donation once they had texted in their competition entry. Viewers were delighted when a winner, who had been selected during the evening using Fonix’s Winner Picker, was called during the live show and awarded a brand new Mazda electric car!
Fonix’s journey with Comic Relief started back in 2015 and during this time there has been many innovations; from an increase in donation price points to Gift Aid initiatives. This campaign saw a fantastic £11.1 million raised through the power of SMS donations alone. It has been a great journey so far with Comic Relief and we are delighted to be their chosen provider for future campaigns.