With the support of OMA members, including media display, printers and installers, the two month national campaign will run on billboards, bus and tram shelters, transit as well as in shopping centres, raising awareness of The Big Issue, and how the street magazine enterprise works.

The creative for the campaign was developed pro bono by Melbourne agency, the blue group, who came up with the tag line “You pay five. I earn half. Everyone feels good.”

The Big Issue Street Magazine is a fortnightly independent current affairs publication that is sold on the streets by homeless and marginalised people. Vendors purchase copies for $2.50 and sell it for $5, keeping the difference.

Steven Persson, CEO of The Big Issue says the new campaign draws on extensive market research that shows the need to tell The Big Issue story in a straightforward way.

He says, “Earlier this year we undertook a market study that examined what people think about The Big Issue and we found that a lot of people did not understand the connection between purchasing the $5 magazine and how it directly helped those who were selling it.”

Persson continues, “What we also learned is that once people did understand how the magazine enterprise model worked they thought it was a great initiative and wanted to get behind it.”

Helen Willoughby, CEO of the OMA says the Association is delighted to be once again supporting the Big Issue and its many hundreds of vendors.

She says, “This is a true partnership where our members are actively involved with The Big Issue’s work as well as providing the media resources. In addition to The Big Issue, OMA members last year donated over $10 million in support of a range of charities and not-for-profit organisations.”

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