The Big Issue is seeking to address the perception that it is a charity rather than a social enterprise in an M&C Saatchi-developed campaign launching today.

The Big Issue is a limited company and social enterprise producing a weekly magazine, which is sold by independent homeless vendors. The vendors purchase the magazines for £1.25, selling them to the public for £2.50. The Big Issue Foundation is a registered charity set up to provide vendors with advice and support around housing, health and finance.

"It's a popular misconception that Big Issue vendors are the recipients of charity, when in fact each vendor is the proprietor of a small local business. So it made perfect sense that they should be given the opportunity to market that business," said Big Issue marketing and communications director Lara McCullagh.

To address this issue M&C Saatchi worked with five vendors to create the adverts which "reflect their individual approaches to selling" said the advertising agency.

The campaign, with the working title "support local business", will run in the national press, online and outdoor targeting the hometowns of the five vendors for two weeks. 

The Big Issue was awarded the social enterprise mark in June 2010. The mark is used to validate businesses as genuine social enterprises and is the only guarantee that an organisation is spending profits on social purposes.

Click the images below to see adverts in large.