The Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, one of Canada’s leading human and equal rights organizations, wanted to create a video the whole country could get behind leading up to Canada Da.

The objective was to create a video that brought core Canadian values to a younger audience, increase awareness for CCDI and their work, and heal divides at a time when divides are all too common.

With very little media spend ($1,000), the team knew the video needed to be edgy. But not only that, it needed to resonate with Canadians at large. To do this, it created a new anthem for Canada that defined what it meant to be free. And in such a diverse, multicultural country, being free means that you’re free to be yourself, without fear of persecution.

Though this was the underlying message of the video, the lyrics themselves reimagined the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for a 2017 audience, tackling such issues as religious expression, gender identity, and political alignment.

The team made these topics more palatable for a younger audience with edgy visual representations and some Internet culture language (AF = as fuck). With the help of some local musicians, they hammered out a song steeped in Canadian nostalgia. It was a little bit rock, a little bit folk, and a little bit country. If Stompin’ Tom Connors were to write a new Canadian anthem, this would be it.

Then, they animated the lyrics in a style reminiscent of vintage Canadian PSAs, making the piece feel truly Canadian and resonate across generations.

And resonate it did. To date, Free AF has been viewed over 2,000,000 times, shared over 50,000 times, and been reacted to over 100,000 times — with 90% of those reactions coming from shares, proving that the video resonates strongly with our target audience.