How Havas and Tom Hooper Gave Us an Honest Glimpse into an Autistic Girl’s Life
Laundry and stain removal brand Vanish recently launched a pioneering campaign that aims to broaden public understanding of autism – particularly in girls, who are three times less likely to receive a diagnosis than boys. ‘Me, My Autism & I’, created by Havas London with support from charity Ambitious about Autism, won the Channel 4 Diversity in Advertising Award 2022, and received £1 million worth of commercial airtime across the broadcaster’s network.
Building on the garment care brand’s commitment to helping clothes live longer lives, the campaign centres on an evocative docudrama film, shot by Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper, which tells the story of one autistic girl - Ash, cast alongside her real family and best friends – and the visceral importance of her hoodie. The film is accompanied by a £100,000 social content series produced by Channel 4’s digital content team 4Studio, an exhibition on London’s South Bank, a social campaign and online hub telling other autistic girls’ stories, a research and talent-backed PR activation, and direct financial support to Ambitious about Autism.
To find out more about this groundbreaking and impactful campaign, LBB’s Alex Reeves spoke to Hollie Iles, senior creative at Havas London.
LBB> What were the early discussions around the Channel 4 Diversity in Advertising Award brief? And how did those get to an idea around autism for Vanish?
Hollie> The idea came first, born from an everyday product brief for the brand. We were thinking about why different clothes matter to different people. Based on some of our personal relationships with autistic and neurodivergent people, we started talking about why clothes and keeping them the same can matter even more - how the idea of comfort can take on a whole new meaning when clothes can be a way to regulate your senses.
The Channel 4 Diversity in Advertising Award brief came second. The client shared it with us, and we couldn’t believe this year’s non-visible disability brief matched our idea. This was the first of many serendipitous moments on this project.
LBB> This competition is all about finding an authentic reason for a brand to meet the diversity brief. Sometimes that can lead to a purpose being crowbarred into a brand's advertising. How did you ensure that Vanish's relevance to this conversation was clear?
Hollie> The idea was born from an everyday product brief rather than the diversity brief, which gave us confidence in its authenticity and relevance. However, to reinforce this, we conducted multiple surveys around autism and clothing across the network of our charity partner, Ambitious about Autism. This gave us a wealth of stories and statistics which we used throughout the campaign to bring to life our insight.
Even though we had a credible reason to enter this conversation, we were cautious to ensure we were doing so in an honest and open way. So, we used our position as an enabler and nurturer of the conversation to platform autistic voices and their lived experience at every turn, leaning on our close relationship with our charity partner as the credible experts on autism throughout.
LBB> What were the key decisions in getting the script right?
Hollie> The original script that we won the Channel 4 Diversity in Advertising Award with was only ever an example of what our film could be. We knew we wanted to mould our final script for our cast, in order to be authentic to them and their experience of living with autism. So, it was key to consult Ash and her family when re-writing the script. The director, Tom Hooper, built a great relationship with them and everything in the film was based on their lived experience. Even on set, he consistently asked if the portrayal was accurate. The film is truly the family’s voice, and I think that’s why it resonated so much with so many people. It’s honest and raw.
LBB> Ash and her family are incredible. What was the casting process like and what guided your decisions, with director Tom Hooper, there?
Hollie> We knew this film would rest on casting. And, we carried our spirit of authenticity through the journey, setting out to find a lead with an existing relationship with clothing. Even in her first tapes, you could see Ash stimming with her school jumper, stretching it over her hands and rubbing them together to calm herself. This, along with her captivating magnetism, meant casting her was a unanimous decision.
From the start, we talked about the dream of casting a whole family, but the reality of that happening seemed so slim… until we met Ash’s family – another of those serendipitous moments I mentioned.
LBB> How did Ash's personal experience prompt the script to change?
Hollie> Everything about Ash’s personal experience influenced the script, from meticulously recreating her hoodie and bedroom to casting her two best friends alongside her. We highlighted her unique talents – the drumming, the art, excelling at maths – alongside her unique symptoms – the stimming, the shutdowns, the triggers. Rather than isolating her autism from other overlapping characteristics, we showed her whole truth – from using an overlay in class to ticking when distressed. She could revisit and act out these episodes of distress without getting upset by them. And, her bravery in allowing such an honest glimpse into her life is honestly incredible.
LBB> Tom is a big-screen, formidable director. What was it like to work with him?
Hollie> Tom said our director’s pack was one of the most passionate he’d read, and he matched our enthusiasm for the project from the very start. The theme of acceptance has always fascinated him and was featured in so many of his films, so the subject of autism and the gender gap within diagnosis really got under his skin. It was a unique opportunity for his film and commercial interests to collide. We trusted him to take this story into the mainstream, and he trusted us to fiercely protect it.
From further conversations, Tom brought to the table his storytelling expertise, asking questions like ‘What does progress look like for the protagonist and her family?’ - building a robust and balanced narrative arc all while telling Ash and her family’s truth. His level of detail was phenomenal - from every frame he shot, to how they pieced together in the edit, to filling them with sound. It was a true masterclass in craft.
LBB> What will be your enduring memories of the shoot? Are there any particular moments that stick in your mind?
Hollie> Because the script flowed from the cast, the production process in the run-up to the shoot was tight, including presenting a brand-new script in the PPM to our very brave client. So, we didn’t have regimented shooting boards – which meant seeing everything for the first time on set. This was daunting but exhilarating as our collective vision came to life scene by scene.
LBB> Is there any detail or scene in the finished film that you're particularly satisfied with?
Hollie> Seeing the SEN room on screen was particularly beautiful. As soon as we saw Ash’s reflection in the light machine, we knew we had our hero shot.
LBB> The sound design plays a really important role in the impact the film has. What were the discussions and decisions around that aspect along the way?
Hollie> Alongside Tom, we enlisted an incredible team to work on the film at every stage of production that was equally inspired to bring this vision to life and create as big an impact as possible for our cause.
Sound was a collaborative experience led by Sam Ashwell from 750mph, who balanced the tangible realism of the piece and its honesty, with clever moments of sound to help carry the narrative. The film’s dialogue was completely unscripted and improvised from the family's real experiences. Our editor, Russell Icke, from Whitehouse Post pieced this together naturally, and attended sound sessions to craft it further. Pete Raeburn from Soundtree composed two incredible tracks for the film and although discussed at length, we went for the braver choice - a gripping score which wrapped itself around the narrative with a buzzing anticipation and ‘pent-up energy’ that reflected our lead and her fluctuating emotions.
LBB> Beyond the film, what are the other key parts of the campaign and how did you make sure they played the right role in the broader aims?
Hollie> Our hero film told the story of Ash and her family. So, it was important that the rest of the campaign platformed many other autistic clothes stories. In particular, it needed to feature female voices, in order to help shatter the misconception that autism primarily impacts boys.
We created an exhibition at the gallery@oxo which showcased 12 garments and the intimate and powerful stories behind them – exploring how familiar clothing can help autistic people thrive. As part of the Channel 4 Award, we worked with 4Studio to create empowering social films about how significant items in autistic people’s lives helped them realise their best selves.
We also worked with Ambitious about Autism to create a campaign hub on their website. https://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/what-we-do/awareness/girls-and-autism It was important that we could drive the curious to somewhere with more information and support resources. It featured opinion pieces that covered wider topics like the LGBTQIA+ and POC autistic experience, as well as articles about the gender gap within diagnosis, autism within education and advice for families.
LBB> Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Hollie> I would like to say thank you to Channel 4 for pushing for diversity in advertising, and thank you to everyone who touched this project and left your indelible mark on it. From every person who shared their powerful story with us, to a very brave client for making this, I’d also like to offer my thanks. Thank you to my Havas family for making it amazing. And finally, thank you to Tom for taking this further than we ever thought was possible.
