Cannes Lions

Broken Crayons

REPUBLICA, Miami / AMIGOS FOR KIDS / 2018

Presentation Image
Demo Film
Supporting Content

Overview

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Credits

Overview

Description

Invite the public to a seemingly ordinary art installation that showcases real drawings by real children, which later turn out to include troubling signs of child abuse.

Transform the honest, unscripted reactions of our audience into a powerful PSA supported by an online film and a virtual art gallery.

Execution

Executed live from December 7-10, 2017, in the heart of Wynwood, the ostensibly ordinary art installation exposed visitors to real drawings by real children, which later turned out to include troubling signs of abuse.

The haunting, four-day exhibit set the scene for an integrated, worldwide multimedia campaign that resulted in an eye-opening multi-platform, multi-faceted campaign that transformed the honest, unscripted reactions of our audience into a powerful PSA.

Thousands of stunned visitors passed through. And while many did not catch the subtle nuances at first, audible gasps and shocked expressions came at the startling revelation that each child artist had been subjected to some form of abuse.

Outcome

A powerful PSA, the campaign would not have succeeded in raising awareness had it not been for proper media coverage. In the end, the results generated a total of 148,724,173 impressions via media outreach and wire release distribution.

In regards to media outputs, the campaign was featured across various local broadcast stations -- of both English and Spanish language media coverage -- as well as garnered mentions in AdAge, The Drum, Ads of the World, to name a few. The message remained consistent across publications and platforms. When sharing the link of the PSA video reporters were also urging the community to be more vigilant of their children and look out for subtle signs that often go unnoticed.

The quality of the coverage can be seen in headlines such as the article featured in AdAge titled: “Adorable kids’ drawings are a window into darkness in this disturbing campaign. PSA shows how abuse can be easily overlooked.”

The attendees’ reactions helped us measure audience outcomes and instant changes in awareness and perceptions. We organized two separate events for two key audiences: One for media and influencers, and another for educators. One guest at the media event commented how he had no idea walking into the gallery what he was about to unveil. The following day, he observed, “I hope this teaches us and especially teachers, educators, nannies, who are in charge of small children to be more vigilant… because sometimes, the enemy is at home.”

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