A good advert must forge an emotional connection in a short space of time

First Published in Third Sector 13th September

Following the launch of Barnardo’s latest ad campaign, CEO Javed Khan shares with Third Sector how the charity used CGI to overcome the challenges of telling a complex story.

Mental health encompasses our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act.

It also impacts how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.

Achieving positive mental health is challenging for all of us, but particularly for vulnerable children and young people.

On top of the issues all young people experience; from changing schools to peer pressure, many of the children Barnardo’s supports have also gone through other challenges — such as sexual abuse, criminal exploitation, or being in the care system. Far too often they aren’t getting the help and support they need at the right time.

That’s where Barnardo’s comes in. We have 75 specialist services providing mental health support to over 40,000 young people in the UK.

But with such a diverse subject and so many services, how do we explain how important they are in a 40-second TV advert?

In 2017, we launched our Believe in Me Campaign, focusing on the strength and resilience of the children we support. We wanted our new ad campaign to build on this positive messaging.

Keeping children and their needs at the centre of the campaign was a must, of course, but this time we hoped to demonstrate the life-changing work we do to support them. With safe spaces and specialist support all children have the power to move forward from trauma.

The next challenge was deciding how to show how we help creatively. In a time of information fatigue and shorter-than-ever attention spans, we wanted to find a way that was memorable, emotional and accurate.

With the support of creative agency FCB Inferno, we explored the idea of using CGI animals as a metaphor to illustrate the feelings a child might experience as a result of traumatic experiences. We wanted to represent their feelings as authentically as possible — bringing to life the reality of their experiences.

While the animals help viewers to connect the emotional dots, our children are still very much the heart of our stories. Frontline staff from our children’s services were involved in developing the concept and writing the script. They also attended the shoot to make sure the crew understood how children might react in certain situations.

We also held focus groups to get feedback on our three new adverts from children and young people.

The first advert uses CGI hyenas to depict the fear and anxiety felt by a child. It shows a 12-year-old girl feeling distressed and afraid when walking home from school, in her home and on her phone in her bedroom.

Although it makes for challenging viewing at the start, the advert ends positively by revealing how the girl finds support and hope by talking to a specialist Barnardo’s counsellor.

At Barnardo’s, we believe a child’s future should never be defined by their past. Whoever they are and whatever their circumstances, we will believe in them and give them the help they need to overcome challenges and find a positive path.