Booktrust, the charity aimed at promoting reading across all age groups, is launching a radio campaign for its Bookstart programme. Bookstart is specifically designed to increase reading to and by children.

The radio campaign follows a hugely successful TV campaign which ran earlier this year, which encouraged people to use their mobile phones to request a starter pack about Bookstart by using a short code. That campaign, which specifically targeted ‘hard to reach’ parents and carers, generated 80,000 requests for free books, roughly 8% of the target market, the one million parents or carers in the UK looking after children aged three and four.

As with the TV campaign, the radio campaign has been created by integrated agency Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw, while the mobile response element is by mobile agency Incentivated.
The radio ads will be targeted to areas across the UK with high numbers of low literacy groups, first-generation immigrants, single parents or those with lower employment levels.
Those who respond will be sent a mail pack containing a free pirate-themed storybook and information about where to collect other free books for children.
The radio ads are voiced by actor Tim Bentinck, who plays David Archer in Radio 4's long-running drama series, The Archers.
Booktrust marketing manager Emily Butt says: “This campaign aims to reach people in society who don't think of book sharing with children as a matter of course. We hope these ads will prompt parents to text us to receive a free book to read to their children.”