enlarge John Patriquin/Staff Photographer

Lirra Schiebler of The VIA Group advertising house traces a Salvation Army ad on Bard Coffee’s window. “I was the only one (at VIA) who could sort of draw a shield,” she said.

enlarge John Patriquin/Staff Photographer

Portland businesses provided valuable window space to the Salvation Army’s campaign.

PORTLAND — The rocks weren't working out. All 110 of them posed a problem: The ink wouldn't stick.

If that wasn't enough, there was the small issue of writing backward on a window two stories above Congress Street.

And then there was the cardboard chair.

When you see the Salvation Army's new "This Ad Cost Nothing" campaign around town, keep in mind that it's not just a clever play on how the organization spends its money. It's also a bunch of solutions.

Local advertising house The VIA Group knew it had to get creative when it took on the campaign. Of course, that's its job, but in this case the project was pro bono. And more importantly, it had to reflect how the Salvation Army itself works on a simple budget.

It may take money to look slick, but it took help from friends, elbow grease and a little guerrilla work to make an ad "cost nothing."

That's how you get painted rocks with little messages popping up on tables and counters, handwritten signs on the windows of local businesses, and cardboard furniture in a shop where a chair can cost thousands.

"We 'MacGyvered' the whole thing," said Chris Avantaggio, an art director with VIA, referring to a television character known for inventive use of common items.

On storefront windows like Bard Coffee and Cunningham Books, the familiar outline of the Salvation Army shield has been turned into an advertising vehicle with taglines such as "The Less We Spend on Advertising, The More People We Can Reach."

Greg Smith, VIA's chief creative officer, said promoting yourself is something that for-profit companies have no problem doing. Now it's the Salvation Army's turn.

"We saw a unique opportunity to set an example for the Salvation Army to talk about itself in a way that is progressive and relevant," Smith said.

It's a big step away from what most people associate with the Salvation Army: donation kettles at the holidays.

"Most people know the Salvation Army, but they may not know specifically what we do," said Craig Evans, the group's director of development in the Northeast.

Although the Salvation Army has not traditionally relied on advertising, last fall it began meeting with VIA to plan the campaign. Evans said the goal was to raise awareness about the Salvation Army's programs and its work in the community.

The idea for the campaign seemed natural. Considering that 83 cents of every dollar received goes toward Salvation Army programs, advertising had to cost close to nothing.

With donors big and small strapped because of the economy (and the same economy causing an uptick in the need for things such as meal services), it seemed like the right message for the right time, Evans said.

"I think it's the perfect message for us," he said.

But perfect took lots of trial and error.

One idea, to write messages in chalk on Old Port buildings, was scuttled because of historic preservation rules, Avantaggio said.

He also went through several designs before deciding on a cardboard chair with the ad on it to sit in the window of the furniture store Addo Novo.

And as for the rocks, the solution was simple: Paint them red, then write the messages.

Because they couldn't just send the project off to the printer, VIA staffers did a lot of work by hand, stamping pizza boxes and coffee sleeves and scrawling on rocks and windows.

"I was the only one who could sort of draw a shield," said Lirra Schiebler, VIA's recruitment coordinator, whose handwriting is literally all over the campaign.

For an entire week, she "was here till 9 p.m. writing on rocks," she said.

Still, they had no idea whether it would work.

"Ideas that have never been done before make you a little scared," said Mike Irvine, a copywriter who oversaw the project with Avantaggio. "But that means it's a good idea if it makes you a little nervous."

That anxiety...