Exploring the New Platform Encouraging Canadians to Finish the Work of Terry Fox
If you didn’t already read about this campaign in last week’s edition of Work of the Week, here’s a quick story (for the non-Canadian readers) about a man named Terry Fox.
One of the all-time greats, Terry was a man who was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 18. While he would survive this initial encounter at the cost of his leg being amputated, discovering how little money was donated to cancer research and seeing the suffering of his fellow patients motivated him to be the change he wanted to see. And so, he embarked upon ‘The Marathon of Hope’, an endeavour to run across the entire country of Canada. Starting on the East Coast, he ran 42 kilometres per day (the equivalent of one marathon), all on his prosthetic leg, for 143 days. Raising over $24.2 million CAD in the process, unfortunately, the only thing that would stop Terry’s determination was the cancer spreading to his lungs, 5,374 kilometers into the journey. While this proved fatal, ultimately, Terry’s story went on to become that of legend – something every Canadian coast to coast grows up hearing.
Across the past 45 years, it has also become a point of inspiration to keep the fight going against cancer. Organisations like the Terry Fox Foundation and Terry Fox Research Institute have kept this charitable initiative intact, more recently uniting Canada’s top minds in cancer research through the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network.
So to remind Canadians that progress is still being made, but that the fight is not over yet, these organisations partnered up with creative agency Diamond to launch a new joint brand platform, titled ‘Finish It’. Directed by Mark Zibert, the work leverages state-of-the-art special effects technology to replicate archival footage of Terry running, later joined by hundreds of people stretching back as far as the eye can see. It’s beautiful work, only made more profound by the soundtrack choice of ‘Courage’, a song by Canadian band The Tragically Hip which, in 2017, lost its own lead singer, Gord Downie, to brain cancer.
To learn more about how this all came together, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with the Terry Fox Foundation’s chief marketing and communications officer, Denise Dias, as well as Diamond VP and group creative directors, Jordan Cohen and Mark Holden for a chat.
LBB> Launching a new brand platform of this magnitude is no small task. As such, what was the brief, and what made now the right time to do so?
Denise> As we approached the 45th anniversary of Terry’s iconic Marathon of Hope, we knew we wanted to start the year off in a big way. It felt like the perfect time to re-energise the brand and reunite Canadians across the country with Terry’s incredible story in a new, bold way. Together with our partners at the Terry Fox Research Institute, we are embarking on a new era in cancer research that will position Canada as a global leader in precision oncology. This is a milestone moment for us as an organisation, and we wanted to spotlight that in a way that was a true tribute to Terry’s vision.
Jordan & Mark> Right away, we knew something as profound as this deserved a platform just as audacious. ‘Finish it’ quickly became our North Star, and we simply unpacked what that means when it comes to Canada’s greatest icon, Terry Fox. It’s not about finishing his run, it’s about finishing his marathon against the over 200 illnesses we call cancer. And we all run that marathon in some way or another.
LBB> In many ways, the campaign needed to represent a shift in tone, representing the culmination of a journey that’s been many years in the making. With that in mind, what was the ideation process like?
Jordan & Mark> The historical footage of Terry’s marathon has become ubiquitous with the Canadian experience. We’re raised on that footage, so, in order to highlight the gravity of what the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network (MOHCCN) is doing, we knew we had to show Terry Fox in a new light. Something that had never been done before.
Moreso, Terry Fox might not have won a championship or gold medals, but he is Canada’s most determined athlete. In speaking to his family and members of the Terry Fox Foundation (TFF), it was clear that his grit, pride and even stubbornness would be the undertone of this spot.
LBB> Tell us more about what the MOHCCN is doing! What can Canadians expect, and what does this launch symbolise for your organisation?
Denise> The MOHCCN actually launched back in 2021, but we recognise that Canadians have so much more to learn about it. Forty-five years ago, Terry’s relentless courage and determination united Canada, and it’s that same bold vision that is the driving force behind the MOHCCN.
For the first time at this scale in Canada, the MOHCCN unites patients, clinicians, researchers and donors from over 100 research and funding institutions across Canada for the benefit of all cancer patients. This unprecedented collaboration is driving research and innovation, helping position Canada as a global leader in precision oncology and bringing us closer to the day when every cancer patient receives personalised treatment to match their particular cancer and genomic make-up, improving outcomes and quality of life.
While the goal to achieve Terry’s dream of a world without cancer is an audacious one, the path is clear, and through this national network, we can finish what Terry set out to accomplish.
LBB> The decision to leverage archival footage and state-of-the-art VFX technology to depict Terry is super cool! At what point did you know this was feasible, and how did you write the spot with this in mind?
Jordan & Mark> From day one, archival footage was leveraged extensively for reference. We had to get every detail right. Everyone poured over the TFF’s extensive archive.
For the shoot itself, Terry had a stand-in, Adam Popp, an accomplished athlete in his own right with the same leg amputation as Terry. Already an admirer of Terry’s, Adam trained for weeks to mirror Terry’s iconic gait and breath. Terry’s likeness was then applied in post through CG/VFX work by the talented team at Tantrum Studio. Together, we’ve been perfecting his face for months. They nailed it.
LBB> Of course, you got the one and only Mark Zibert to direct. What made him the right man for the job, and what was the production process like?
Jordan & Mark> Mark has always idolised Terry Fox, and that reverence was felt at every stage of the process. Mark could not have been more collaborative, and pushed every aspect of the film forward, at every stage. We worked on this together for over a year, so there were so many iterations of the script, the edit, you name it. Mark brought his passion to all of it.
As for production, a one-day shoot in rural Ontario saw hundreds of volunteers show up in honour of Terry Fox. It’s amazing how far people will go for him. A casting call went out to the TFF and Research Institute’s email lists, and the response was overwhelming. Cancer survivors, amputees, run organisers and more gave it their all. They ran uphill countless times, from morning until dusk.
The take you see in the film was the second last of the day, so the runners are legitimately pushing through their fatigue. You can see them channeling their inner Terry right on their faces. It was powerful to watch.
LBB> You also worked with The Tragically Hip to soundtrack this campaign. What did it take to get them involved, and what made ‘Courage’ the right song for the job?
Jordan & Mark> It was only fitting to pair Terry Fox with another Canadian legend in Gord Downie. Both men brought national attention to the fight against cancer through the Marathon of Hope and The Tragically Hip’s final tour across Canada respectively. Canadians hold both in such deserved reverence – our goal was simply to not let them down.
We worked with Walker Audio and musician Jonas Bonnetta to create a stripped back version of ‘Courage’, arriving at a ‘less is more’ approach quite quickly. By stripping down one of The Tragically Hip’s most upbeat anthems to feature only Gord’s voice with backing vocals, (we felt) the song transformed into a haunting, beautiful tribute, capturing the essence of Terry’s journey.
We then sent the reimagined track out to The Tragically Hip’s reps and heard back quickly – they were in. You can see how everything went down on the band’s end from the Hip’s Rob Baker. He shared a video about the process.
LBB> As part of the campaign, you also provided a new visual identity for the organisations involved. What was this process like? Tell us about your approach!
Jordan & Mark> Our goal was to bring together the TFF, Research Institute and the MOHCCN under a unified look. Terry was Canada’s greatest athlete, and alongside the new platform, we sought to give the organisations a bolder, more athletic look and feel to match.
Throughout the process, our inspiration was Terry and his time running the Marathon of Hope. So we sampled colours from archival photography, embracing the blue of the adidas shoes he wore throughout the run, the red of his iconic shirt, and tones sampled from the roads across Canada he ran on. A customised typeface was also developed based on a shirt gifted to Terry from a cancer ward in Grand Falls, Newfoundland and Labrador.
LBB> To debut you the spot, you hosted the ‘Finish It’ event. How did that go?
Denise> Our event took place at the TIFF Lightbox in Toronto on February 4th (World Cancer Day). The event included remarks from Dr. Marco Marra and Dr. Jennifer Chan, two of our country’s top cancer researchers who are both active participants in MOHCCN, Yuan Lew, a cancer patient who is currently receiving personalised treatment for her particular cancer (and received a standing ovation for her moving speech!), and Kirsten Fox, Terry’s eldest niece. Following Kirsten’s remarks we debuted the film, unveiling our new brand platform.
We also had special appearances from the lieutenant governor of Ontario, Edith Dumont, Jake Gold, long-time manager of The Tragically Hip, and Patrick Downie, Gord Downie’s brother.
It was truly amazing to see so many Terry Fox supporters in one room together, to mark this milestone anniversary and launch. People were incredibly emotional at the event – I don’t think there was a dry eye in the theatre.
LBB> Since launch, what has the initial response to the campaign been like?
Denise> We’ve been humbled by how Canadians have already started to rally around this message. We’ve heard so many comments, from across the country and beyond, about how moved people are by the campaign – particularly the coming together of these two Canadian icons, Terry Fox and The Tragically Hip.
We’re also so grateful to the many Canadian celebrities who have helped amplify this work, including Ryan Reynolds, Celine Dion, Michael Bublé, Rick Mercer, Barenaked Ladies, Jann Arden, Arkells, Hannah Simone, Bianca Andreescu, Chantal Kreviazuk, Steve Nash, Matty Matheson, and many more.
Jordan & Mark> Incredible. News and media outlets across the country have shared the film and ‘Finish It’ message, and the most moving responses can be found in the comment sections. There are cancer survivors and patients sharing their own experiences and what Terry Fox meant to them; it’s been truly beautiful, gutting, inspiring – all of it.
LBB> Finally, is there an element of this campaign you’re most proud of?
Jordan & Mark> Hands down, we are most proud – and honoured – to be working with the TFF and the MOHCCN at this pivotal moment. They are on the cusp of something that could change the world forever. If Canadians come together right now, we can truly ‘Finish It’. We urge anyone reading this to please donate at terryfox.org.
Denise> When we were screening the film with some members of the MOHCCN Patient Working Group, one of the patients broke down in tears and said that she felt seen in the work. She expressed how going through cancer can feel so isolating, and that the film felt like an embrace and a reminder that we are all in this together. I think for me, that’s been the proudest moment – knowing the work is resonating with patients and families facing cancer.
