Great Ormond Street Hospital's Disarming Ad Has an Emotional Twist

No child wants to be in hospital missing out on the everyday, ordinary things we all take for granted.  This is especially true of the children at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), who are often seriously ill, and in hospital for extended periods of time.

Based on this insight, AMV BBDO has developed a fully-integrated brand campaign for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

A 60 second launch film (running on TV, cinema and online) presents the ‘Ordinary World’ like a theme park. The mundane family activities we often take for granted – a trip to the supermarket, a ride on a bus, a trip to the local park – are reframed as wonderous, exhilarating experiences.

The film ends with a sudden and dramatic twist, as we see a child in bed at Great Ormond Street Hospital. A voiceover, delivered by BAFTA winner Olivia Colman, explains: “All some children dream of is getting back to the ordinary world…”

Stars of the ad Delano, nine from London, and Jessica, 10 from South Wales, have both spent significant periods of their life in hospital missing the everyday life of the ordinary world, just like the 260 children who arrive at the world leading children’s hospital every day. 

Viewers are then directed to a microsite to find out more about Great Ormond Street Hospital, the charity and the extraordinary work it does to help children get back to the ordinary world.

Our complimentary print and OOH campaign will also hero scenes and scenarios in the ‘Ordinary World’ which some people take for granted, yet children and their families at GOSH would probably dream of returning to.

Nick Radmore, Deputy Director of Brand & Content Marketing at Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity said “The campaign highlights the importance for patients of Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) to return to the ordinary world, and how donated money can help the hospital provide seriously ill children with the extraordinary care to get them there. While the NHS meets the day-to-day running costs, the hospital relies on support above and beyond this to provide extraordinary care, expertise and facilities. We hope that people will stop and think about the concept of missing the ordinary and make an emotional connection to the patients and families who are supported by the charity every day”

James Drummond, Board Account Director, AMV BBDO “We don’t usually strive for the ordinary, but that’s exactly what we’ve done in our latest work for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.  The work was built around the insight that you don’t appreciate the everyday until it’s taken away from you and was developed to strike a chord with the majority of parents across the UK who take going to the shops, the park or watching X-Factor on a Saturday night for granted. You can only make light of ordinary if you have an extraordinary response to it, and that is exactly what all the patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital receive; extraordinary levels of care and support.  Great Ormond Street Hospital goes to extraordinary lengths to help very sick kids get back to leading ordinary lives.”

The ad will be airing from 26 January in Pearl & Dean Cinemas, as well as selected Sky TV channels, the BT Sports app and YouTube. Much of the advertising space has been negotiated for free and at reduced cost through media buying agency Mediacom.

Olivia Colman said of her involvement “It’s an honour to help Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, the work they do to help patients and families when they really need it is vital. For many families, the hospital is their last hope, the place to go when no one else can help and it was a privilege to be able to help in this way”. 

Michelle Mowbray, Director at MediaCom said, “Great Ormond Street Hospital goes above and beyond for the children that it cares for and as a thank you, we wanted to give something back to the hospital. The aim with Ordinary World is to reach as many people as possible and what better way than via everyday methods such as TV channels, cinemas and mobile apps. We’re proud to be working alongside such a fantastic charity and are grateful to the media owners that have made this possible.”