When help needs to feel human: How Childline is creating real relevance with young people
Young people may recognise Childline as a service that supports their wellbeing. But recognition alone doesn’t drive trust or action.
Faced with rising scepticism toward formal support services, growing competition from social media and AI, and an audience increasingly fatigued by traditional advertising, Childline rebuilt its entire marketing strategy with young people at the centre.
This session unpacks the insights that shaped that shift, the unfiltered feedback that challenged our assumptions, and how influencer‑led storytelling helped us connect with an audience who demand authenticity.
Childline’s marketing team will share how this informed new platform choices, creator partnerships and storytelling approaches - plus the impact our strategy has had on consideration, engagement and campaign performance.
Dan has been in the charity sector for five years after working agency side on brands such as Reebok, eBay and Moonpig. He is a Senior Marketing Officer at the children's charity NSPCC, working to promote Childline to under-18s through social media campaigns, influencer marketing, and schools.
Courtney Zitola is a Marketing Manager at the NSPCC, the UK’s leading children’s charity. Specialising in youth marketing, she oversees communication strategies for Childline, the free 24‑hour service for children and young people up to the age of 19. Courtney has supported the transform Childline's marketing strategy, to help meet young people where they are.