What if you could help mother children in war-affected areas? What if you could virtually reach out and literally provide them the warmth of a mother’s hug? Or rock them to sleep from the safety of your couch? With today’s launch of War Child Canada's latest campaign promoting the fictional NGO Surrogaid.org, now you can.
Leveraging TV, radio, out-of-home and online advertising, the newly rolled out campaign promises to allow mothers here to literally feed, comfort and care for children there – all with just a few simple clicks online.
However, when visitors actually attempt to connect to a live Surrogaid stationed abroad, they’ll be delivered the campaign’s payoff: “You can’t donate motherhood. But you can donate money”.
“We wanted to make it seem plausible that you could donate the act of motherhood online”, says Stephen Jurisic, ECD of john st. advertising. “But of course you can’t. Only real mothers in these war-affected countries can provide their children with that.”
"It’s so easy to get caught up in the 'Kickstarter craze' these days," remarks Adrian Belina, partner & creative director at Jam3. "But as wonderful as all these new technologies are, they can’t solve every problem."
James Topham of War Child Canada says, “We thought this was a fresh way to remind people just how important mothers are to the healthy development of children - particularly in the context of war. And that the best way to support them is still the easiest – by donating money.”
With Mother’s Day just around the corner, War Child is hoping the campaign will connect with Canadians as motherhood comes top of mind. As Mr. Topham says, “By supporting motherhood you’re helping protect childhood, which is War Child’s primary mission. And one that’s only made possible when people give.”
The campaign was created by international award-winning agency john st., and directed by Jono Hunter of OPC with the interactive web experience developed by Jam3.
Credits
Agency: john st.
Executive Creative Director: Stephen Jurisic, Angus Tucker
Art Director: Marie Richer
Copywriter: Jamie Umpherson
Producer: Cas Binnington
Account Service: Laura Rodriguez
Strategic Planning: Laura Robbins
Production: OPC
Director: FamilyStyle (Jono Hunter)
Executive Producers: Harland Weiss, Donovan Boden, Liz Dussault
Producer: Isil Gilderdale
DP: Brett Van Dyke
Art Director: Brad Wilson
Digital Production: Jam3
Creative Director: Adrian Belina
Executive Producer: Graham Budd
Producer: Greg Benedetto
Designer: Vinicius Araujo
Director of Creative Technology: Mikko Haapoja
Tech Lead: Aaron Morris
Developer: Elliot Kwan
Developer: Alvaro Lemus
Offline House: School Editing
Editor: Mark Morton
Assistant Editor: Lauren Piche
Transfer: Alter Ego
Colourist: Conor Fisher
Online House: Fort York VFX
Executive Producers: Erin Kuttner & Amanda Lariviere
Online Artists: Ernie Mordak, Andrew Rolfe
Online Assistant: Jason Pereira
Audio House: Apollo Studios
Post-Audio Producers: Tom Hutch, Benedicte Leclere
Music Producers: Yan Dal Santo, Daenen Bramberger
Composer/Engineer: Harry Knazan
Composer/Sound Designer: Armen Bazarian
Casting: Jigsaw Casting Ltd
Casting Director: Shasta Lutz, CDC
Illustration: Clint Ford
Printing: Category5
Media Partner: Grassroots Advertising
Public Relations: Social Lab (David Jones)
Public Relations: AJ Media (Alyssa Siegel)