2021 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Challenge
There are more than 30,000 children waiting to be adopted from Canada’s foster system.
The hard reality is that too many children linger in care for years and age out of the foster care system without an adoptive family — putting them at an elevated risk of negative outcomes.

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption-Canada, a non-profit public charity dedicated exclusively to finding permanent homes for the more than 30,000 children waiting to be adopted from Canada’s foster care system, tasked McCann with helping move the needle on that goal.

Insight
When you hear about adoption, your mind immediately goes to dogs or cats.

The reality is that in Canada if you are a dog or cat you are way more likely to get adopted. While dogs have a 47% chance of being adopted and cats have a 67% Chance – children only have a 4% chance of finding a forever home.

The fact that adoption had become so associated with pets that people were losing sight of a problem that was hidden in plain sight led to the bait and switch “Up for Adoption” strategy.

Execution
McCann designed a series of posters to look like pet adoption posters with photos of pets front and centre. The call to action said ‘Your donation can help her/him find a forever home. Go to upforadoption.ca’. What was less clear, hiding in plain sight were the children who these ads were actually about.

Upon arriving on the site, people would discover that it wasn’t about animals but actually about kids. Here they could learn more about The Dave Thomas Foundation, make a donation, and help get children out of foster care and into permanent families.

A partnership with the Ontario SPCA meant the animals in the posters could also get adopted.

Results
The campaign netted an increase of 370% in website traffic and was the Dave Thomas Foundation’s most effective online donation campaign ever. The task of finding homes for Canada’s children is not only critical it is also daunting. Helping increase support and attention for the cause is an important step.

Credits

McCann Canada Inc. / Toronto Agency
McCann New York / New York Agency
Initiative Media / Toronto Media Distribution Company
Westside Studio / Toronto Production Company
Craft / Toronto Production Company
Eric Silver Chief Creative Officer McCann New York / New York
Josh Stein Chief Creative Officer McCann Canada Inc. / Toronto
Nir Refuah Executive Creative Director McCann New York / New York
Stephen Tasker Creative Director McCann Canada Inc. / Toronto
Peter Sherer Writer McCann New York / New York
Heather Bryant Writer McCann Canada Inc. / Toronto
Lise Larsen Art Director McCann New York / New York
Maryann Tenaglia Art Director McCann Canada Inc. / Toronto
Jacqueline Bellmore Executive Producer McCann Canada Inc. / Toronto
Vanessa Birze Producer McCann Canada Inc. / Toronto
Dylan Dempsey Creative Technologist McCann Canada Inc. / Toronto
Julia Cohen User Experience Designer McCann Canada Inc. / Toronto
Patrick O’Donovan Account Team McCann Canada Inc. / Toronto
Alexandra Lindsay Account Team McCann Canada Inc. / Toronto
Dustin Rideout Strategist McCann Canada Inc. / Toronto
Ishma Alexander-Huet Account Team Initiative Media / Toronto
Raichelle Ursua Account Team Initiative Media / Toronto
Dave Kutner Account Team Initiative Media / Toronto
Tom Nesbitt Executive Producer Westside Studio / Toronto
Derek Shapton Photographer Westside Studio / Toronto
Jeff Jamison Digital Artist Westside Studio / Toronto
Manny Augusto Producer Craft / Toronto
Michelle Kennedy Designer Craft / Toronto
Peter Rambachan Designer Craft / Toronto
Pedro Rodrigues Designer Craft / Toronto
Rami Aharonov Programmer McCann Canada Inc. / Toronto