2023 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

SickKids Foundation's primary goal is to fund The Hospital for Sick Children, the world's top pediatric hospital based in Toronto, Canada. After six years of raising $1.5BN, the largest healthcare fundraising initiative in Canadian history, SickKids Foundation needed a new approach to motivate people to support their cause. They aimed to increase monthly and one-time donors, as well as boost the overall average donation amount by at least 6%.

However, research revealed that only half of Torontonians were aware of their goal to build a new hospital, even though SickKids had cared for thousands of children each year.

With the COVID-19 pandemic highlighting the importance of healthcare and hospitals, SickKids Foundation leveraged this cultural relevance to create the "Be A Light" campaign. Parents of SickKids patients described illness as a dark cloud that descended on their families, and the campaign metaphorically depicted this darkness as illness. SickKids was not only the hopeful light that could beat it back but also a beacon calling on everyone to become part of the light. The campaign encouraged people to join SickKids in defeating childhood illness by becoming monthly donors and helping to build the new SickKids hospital.

The campaign utilized a fully-integrated plan that spanned from awareness to donation. Mass media rose awareness through a bold, impactful story that captivated audiences to explain that SickKids was building a new hospital and why it was needed. Lower down the funnel, "understanding" tactics demonstrated how a new hospital would positively impact child health.

Lastly, conversion tactics drove people to become donors through urgency messaging. The results were excellent, with 8,014 monthly donors acquired, with a lifetime value of approximately $7,000,000 in addition to $2,029,770 in one-time donation revenue. The campaign also marked an 8% YOY increase in average donation value. In terms of engagement, the campaign gained 60 million impressions, 3.4 million of which were earned from coverage by top-tier Toronto media outlets. The campaign recall was also substantial, with 56% unaided awareness for SickKids and their mission to build a new hospital jumping 13.7% in just one year. There was also a 9% increase in future donation intent, in addition to the best ever net promoter score for a SickKids campaign, demonstrating the effectiveness of the campaign message in reaching the people who hadn't yet shown their support.

Credits

Advertising Agency: Cossette 
Global Chief Creative Officer(s): Peter Ignazi
Executive Creative Director(s): Craig McIntosh, Jaimes Zentil
Creative Director(s): Mario Cesareo, Valentine Ho 
Associate Creative Director/Copywriter: Jon Taylor 
Associate Creative Director/Art Director: Andrea Romanelli 
Copywriter: Roya Hakami
Art Director: Adil Abdel-Gabar 
VP, Business Lead: Tyler Robson
Group Business Director: Daria Lysenko 
Business Director: Valerie Mascarin 
Account Coordinator: Diana Qian 
Chief Strategy Officer: Cat Wiles
VP, Strategy: Denika Angelone 
Senior Strategist: Bella Iannetta 
Senior Production Director: Dawn-Marie Mills
Senior Retoucher: Trevor Gauthier, Thomas Dagg
Senior Production Artist: Shireen Kok
Agency Producer: Caroline Wrinch 

Client: SickKids Foundation
SVP, Direct and Digital Marketing: Heather Clark
VP, Brand Strategy And Communications: Kate Torrance 
Director: Roy Gruia, Noelle de la Mothe 
Associate Director: Tina Tieu-Lafrance, Tanya Tucker, Monisa Mees, Lisa Charendoff
Coordinator, Community Stakeholder Relations: Kylie White
Public Relations Professional: Taylor Huff 
Manager: Jessica Myers, Rebecca Shrimpton 

Media Agency: OMD
Managing Director: Daryl Heroux
Group Director: Laurie St. John
Associate Director: Daniel Aherne
Strategist: Zoe Sullivan
  
Production Company: Scouts Honour
Director: Mark Zibert
Exec Producer: Rita Popielak
Exec Producer: Simon Dragland
Photographer: Thomas Dagg
Editing House: Outsider Editorial
Editor: Michael Barker
Exec Producer: Kristina Anzlinger
Producer: Kayan Choi
Ass Editor: Nathan Olszewicki
Ass Editor: Kelsey Dale-McGrath

Colour/Transfer Facility:  Alter Ego
Colourist: Wade Odlum
Producer: Jane Garahh
Producer: Spencer Butt

VFX & Online Facility: The Vanity
Lead VFX & Online: Sean Cochrane
Exec Producer: Stephanie Pennington

Music: Rajakovic Electric
Music Composer: Mark Rajakovic
Exec Producer: Nicole Rajakovic