2025 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Youth mental health is in crisis. 50% of young people struggle with their mental health alone. And as Canada’s only 24/7 e-mental health solution for youth, Kids Help Phone’s mission is to create a safe space for young people to connect and share their feelings.

To make sure that every single child in Canada knows just how easy it is to reach out, Kids Help Phone set out to make sure that 686868 would be the most well-known numbers in Canada. This was critical as 73% of young people in Canada prefer non-verbal communication making Kids Help Phone’s text number more important than ever.

Kids don’t memorize phone numbers anymore, which is critical when they need help. Unlike previous generations, young people don’t memorize phone numbers – why would you when you just click a name on your smartphone? But in the midst of a mental health crisis, there’s one that’s critical to know: 686868. So the question became, how could the agency make KHP’s number one youth wouldn’t forget?

Sports are an integral part of almost all young people’s lives with about 67% of Canadian youth (6-17) taking part in some sport (Canadian Youth Sports Report).
So finding a way to reach them when they are training, practicing or chatting with their coach would be an opportune time to connect with them. Given that most young people practice their workouts in repetitions (reps), connecting the numbers 6 and 8 to the exercises kids were already doing provided a unique way in.

Turning reps into a reminder to connect with Kids Help Phone. "Champions" is the debut film launching the Kids Help Phone 686868 Circuit: an initiative that turns the everyday act of counting reps into a reminder of KHP's text line number, 686868.

Starring pro athletes like Andre De Grasse, William Nylander, and Penny Oleksiak alongside real youth, the film reveals the impact of pressure on young athletes' mental health, reminding them that "Even champions need champions" and seamlessly embedding Kids Help Phone into the world of sport.

686868 captured people’s attention breaking platform benchmarks across the board with Instagram achieving a 32% higher engagement rate, Facebook experiencing a 791% increase, and X seeing a 67% rise in engagement.

Credits

Agency: McCann Canada
Chief Creative Officer: Ian Mackenzie
Chief Creative Officer: Josh Stein
Creative Director: Athina Lalljee
Creative Director: Fernando Salvador
Copywriter: Megan Burrow
French Copywriter: Genevieve Mallette
Sr. Art Director: Olivia Hashka
Designer: Mitch Houlahan
Senior Digital Designer: Ana-Maria Triana
Chief Strategy Officer: AJ Jones
VP, Strategy: Josh Hansen
Senior Strategist: Alexandra Montgomery
VP, Group Account Director: Emily MacLaurin-King
Account Supervisor: Isabel Wilkins
SVP, Director of Production: Stef Fabich
Montreal Producer: Aloha Soimaud
Senior Producer: Jana Tuck

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[HERO FILM CREDITS]

Production Company: Scouts honour
Director: Mark Zibert
Directors of Photography: Mark Zibert and Eric Kaskens
Executive Producers: Simon Dragland and Rita Popielak
2nd Unit DP: Stephen Hosier
Photographer: Thomas Dagg
Creative Research: Tricia Zaremba
Production Designer: David Dennis
Stylist: Kate Day

Casting: Jigsaw Casting

Editorial: Nimiopere
Editor: Steve Puhach
Assistant Editor: Laura Corredor
Producer: Hannah Stone
Executive Producer: Julie Axell

VFX/Online: Tantrum Studio
Compositors: Davide Di Santo, Dan Ciancone, Piers Larchet
VFX Creative Director: Dominik Bochenski
VFX Executive Producer: Victoria Holt

Audio: Grayson Music
Audio Director: Lowell Sostomi
Audio Engineer: Eric Hulme
Music Supervisor: Warren Bray
Audio Exec Producer: Kelly McCluskey
Sound Designers: Ben Swarbrick & Eric Hulme

French Audio: Audio Z
French Producer: Vanessa Sansfacon