2021 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Objective & Challenge

In 2016 SickKids set out to raise $1.5BN to build a new hospital. Come 2020, it needed to acquire 10,000 donors to remain on track.

Reaching this target would mean not only keeping up the fundraising momentum but it would also mean hitting an important and historic milestone of 1 million donors supporting our fight.

Insight & Strategy

The organization turned to behavioural economics and the “gradient effect” that claims people are more likely to donate as charitable campaigns approach their goals, due to a heightened sense of personal impact. The team needed to tap into this cognitive bias by demonstrating just how close the hospital was to 1 million donors, and encourage people to “become a part of history”.

The concept came to life by focusing on the patients. Since 2002, SickKids patients have been earning bravery beads for every needle, test, scan or surgery they’ve endured. To date, over 1 million patients have earned over 1 million beads, and soon it was going to have 1 million donors supporting them.

This would become the core of the creative concept.

Having reached the celebrated million donor milestone, the foundation wanted to sustain momentum, so it evolved the “This is Why” campaign, putting the primary focus back on patient and doctor stories. The goal was to remind everyone that SickKids still needed their support to reach its ultimate $1.5BN goal and build a new hospital.

Execution

The team created a film that explained the concept of bravery beads and encouraged Ontarians to become donors. The full length film ran on YouTube and the Foundation’s website, cutdowns were featured across social media.

To guide people down the funnel, they used the beads to create a visual tracker that counted up to the 1 millionth donor. This tracker was featured on our website, in social media, and on OOH boards, with beads continually added as they neared the goal.

Finally, to garner earned media attention, SickKids placed temporary, giant bead sculptures at high-traffic sites around Toronto.

Once it reached the millionth donor, the “This Is Why” campaign took over and ran on broadcast, in digital and social channels such as YouTube, Connected TV, LinkedIn, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok and Facebook as well as in OOH.

To drive conversions, website visitors and those who watched 50% of the film online were retargeted with urgency messaging. To ensure existing donors were engaged, the campaign also included 1:1 tactics such as email, direct mail and target social.

Results

SickKids acquired 154 monthly donors on the first day of the campaign – the highest first day of all previous Fall campaigns which ran during the same time period. In addition it saw a +15% YOY increase in monthly donors acquired, equaling over $8.6 million in life time value; a +20% YOY increase in one-time donations; and 130 pieces of earned media coverage across traditional and social channels, generating a total of 21,928,603 impressions.

Credits

Agency: Cossette
Global Chief Creative Officer(s): Carlos Moreno, Peter Ignazi
Executive Creative Director(s): Jaimes Zentil, Craig McIntosh
Creative Director(s): Sarah Rutherford, Mario Cesareo
Associate Creative Director/AD: Jake Bundock
Senior Copywriter: Kay Benedek
Copywriter(s): Ryan Kukec, Alene Shahnazarian
Art Director: Tyler Robitaille
Agency Producer: Clair Galea, Haley Stefan
Senior Strategist(s): Jeff Mccrory, Rami Dudin
Associate Strategist: Courtney Mulock
Strategy Director: Denika Angelone
SVP, Strategy: Rosie Gentile
Chief Strategy Officer: Cat Wiles
Account Supervisor: Emma Sleeper, Valerie Mascarin
Business Director: Asmait Hailu
Group Business Director: Melissa Levenberg, Daria Lysenko
VP, Business Lead: Tishan Canagasaby
SVP, Client Lead: Janis Lindenbergs
Director, Broadcast Traffic/Talent: Donna Nadeau
Senior Retoucher: Trevor Gauthier
Print Producer: Dawn-Marie Mills


Production House: Scouts Honour
Director: Mark Zibert/ Brent Foster
Cinematographer(s): Mark Zibert, Eric Kaskens
Executive Producer(s): Simon Dragland, Rita Popielak
Production Coordinator(s): Ellie Winston, Amy Prickett, Chelsea Strachan
1st AC: Colin Doering
2nd Unit DP: Andy Ferreira
2nd Unit AC: Brandon Vieira
1st AD: Conor O’Brien
Production Designer: Jordan Worth
Wardrobe Stylist: Kate Day
Photography: Sandy Pereira
Docu-Photography: Tricia Zaremba & Thomas Dagg
Equipment Provide: William F Whites Intl

Editing House - Saints Editorial
Editorial: Married to Giants

Transfer Facility/Colour: Alter Ego
Colourist - Eric Whipp

Online/Special Effects Facility: The Vanity
Executive Producer: Stephanie Pennington
Producer: Katie Methot
Lead VFX Artist: Sean Cochrane
VFX Artist(s) - Naveen Srivastava, Kaelem Cahill, Michael Medeiros, Andrew Farlow, Noah Matikainen
Adam Silcox - Vanwyk
CG - Josh Clifton, Joaquin Manay

Audio House: Pirate Group Inc.
Track Director(s): Mark Rajakovic, Tom Eymundson