How You Feelin? Creation of a new ChildLine advert for MTV by young creatives
Childline has teamed up with Orbital's Paul Hartnoll to create a new advert , perfect for the 'i' generation.
As any adult will tell you, appealing to troubled kids is no mean feat. It is all about attracting their attention and coming down to their level. Nowhere is this more important than when dealing with abused youngsters, many of whom are crying out for help and simply do not know where to turn.
Established back in 1986 ChildLine’s 24 hour counselling service offers children in danger and distress a much needed refuge – a place where they can air their problems and speak about abuse in a non-judgemental, constructive atmosphere.
The initiative sprung from Esther Rantzen’s That’s Life program which fearlessly tackled the controversial and often neglected issue of child abuse. It was truly pioneering and the helpline became a part of the children’s charity NSPCC in 2006. Yet much has changed since Esther’s day.
The old style adverts with their dark, overtly depressing images will no longer do if we are going to protect the next generation of kids. These youngsters are tech savvy and au fait with the latest dance beats, music videos and pop culture. Their needs and desires both shape and reflect a new industry. If ChildLine’s vital message has any hope of getting across in 2010 they have to be every bit as hip as the marketers of the latest trainers and iPods.
It is a daunting mission, but one that NSPCC’s Creative Director and Head of Brand Marketing Ian MacArthur has tackled head on. Teaming up with Paul Hartnoll of legendary dance act Orbital, MacArthur invited young people across the U.K. to cut their own edit using the very latest remixer tools.
Over 700 young creatives entered a mash-up competition with the winning remix being aired on MTV shows as a one off ad spot. The result, entitled How u Feelin? is a startlingly energetic, yet simple video that is as invigorating as the old adverts were gloomy. Lasting just 30 seconds, it runs the gamut of emotions, starting out negative and ending in something overwhelmingly positive and inspiring.
The process started with filming 60 children at a casting studio, each for 15 minutes. They were invited to tell the camera how they were feeling and were then briefly interviewed. Projection shots were then taken as the participants were asked to pose in a variety of different ways.
“It was an organic process and a lot of fun,” says Director, Dennis Lui. “The kids would get more creative as we went along and by the end of each session, I think they left a little happier than when they came in. I think it helps that I’m pretty much like a big kid myself and that I’m the goofy American which I’m sure intrigued a lot of them with the culture clash,” laughs Dennis.
While previous adverts have been designed and created by a remote team of adults, the children were always going to be at the forefront of this initiative. The goal was to encapsulate the full range of emotions that children in need may experience, whether it is anger, frustration or confusion. The mashed up style suited the often conflicting feelings that youngsters experience.
“I think it was tremendous that young people helped sculpt the ad,” enthuses Lui. “It is empowering for them. With a lot of adverts you can tell that it was written by an agency executive, but I think this piece is fun and communicates to kids on their level. I don’t think that this is a juvenile ad by any means – it has sincerity and a genuine tone that kids respond to. There is nothing worse than being preached to by an adult.”
This was something that Lui and Paul Silburn, Creative Director of the ad were desperate to avoid. The use of dance music and the MTV format spoke to their target audience through a medium they were familiar with and, perhaps most importantly of all, respected.
“We ran the winning entry on MTV precisely because it delivers the right audience demographic for our message and for our music related creative idea,”explains Silburn. “The standard of entries was surprisingly high and Paul Hartnoll from Orbital chose the winning one from a shortlist and commented how good they were. He felt that the winning entry, in particular, showed a very good understanding of musical structure, build and rhythm and a great use of the samples available.”
The music used was deliberately catchy and up to date on a cultural level. Because kids’ culture is evolving so quickly these days, it was essential that those involved had their finger on the pulse of the latest trends. There seemed no better choice than the hugely popular mash-up format, which takes video media online and re-edits it to music. The winning entry grabs and holds the viewers’ attention while conveying its message in a lively, uncompromising way.
“I hope kids will watch this and think that ChildLine is a place they can turn to for their problems,” muses Lui. “The fun execution of this commercial was designed to make them feel that we, as adults, understand their culture and struggles. In addition, the commercial looks very different from a lot of what exists on TV. It is designed to stand-out between predictable looking car or soap commercials. Because there is so much content out there creativity and originality are the only things that stand out these days.”
With 32000 children at risk from child abuse in the U.K. and an average of 700 registrations to the child protection register each week, making children aware of ChildLine’s indispensable service has never been more important. The kind of innovation that Lui and his partners have seized upon is perhaps the only way that its unique function can be kept alive.
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