The prevalence of pregnancy loss is not mainstream conversation. In fact, it is a topic that was only beginning to gain traction with celebrities like Chrissy Teigen sharing their own experience. However, working with PAIL, we understood the perception of pregnancy loss, primarily deemed as a ‘women’s issue,’ was something we needed to overcome, broadening the understanding of its prevalence and all those who are impacted. With limited awareness of PAIL and no paid media, we needed to propel a conversation and spark change to shift perceptions across the country related to pregnancy loss.

For many expectant parents the thought of pregnancy loss is not something openly discussed... even when it happens to them. However, an estimated 1 in 4 pregnancies end in loss and society tells us not to announce a pregnancy for 3 months “just in case” something happens, leaving many navigating their grief and pain alone in silence.

Sunnybrook Hospital’s Pregnancy and Infant Loss Network (PAIL), an organization dedicated to improving bereavement care and providing support to families who have suffered the loss of a pregnancy or baby, aimed to change this to by breaking the taboo to ensure those suffering had somewhere to turn to.

Knowing PAIL’s purpose to provide aid to grieving families, we needed to do more than just raise awareness but make a change in the societal norms surrounding pregnancy loss for all. Through our work, we aimed to unsilence the conversation around pregnancy loss, not just for women, but for all.

To create movement we needed to inspire those who have not been personally affected, invite them to rally and support while also providing resources and coping mechanisms for grieving families. To spark a change created a call to action, encouraging all Canadians to #UnsilenceTheConversation.

Knowing PAIL’s purpose to provide aid to grieving families, we needed to do more than just raise awareness but make a change in the societal norms surrounding pregnancy loss for all. This narrative was a drastic departure from the ongoing conversation which focused only on women. By bringing in families and loved ones also impacted by pregnancy loss and having them share their story we looked to spark a change by humanizing the conversation, bringing it to a mass platform. We leveraged new statistics on the impact and PAIL families to share their personal stories with media, allowing all Canadians to either relate to or understand the pain in order to better support. Through social listening we identified Canadian influencers who had spoken about loss and encouraged them to share their story, inclusive of their partners or loved ones, bringing the conversation online and all driving towards the campaign site.

We built the #UnsilenceTheConversation toolkit, which had two key resources for families who have experienced a pregnancy loss. First, the Baby Ad Opt Out Plugin; a way to get around parenting ads on every social platform. Second, the Unbirth Announcement. Designed to provide a voice for those that were having trouble finding their own. Both elements were available for all Canadians at UnsilenceTheConversation.com.

We then connected with PAIL families and influencers who have gone through a pregnancy loss themselves to lead by example and share their stories. These new tools and statistics from PAIL provided a timely hook to connect with media outlets from across Canada. We offered interviews with PAIL representatives who could speak to the resources available and families who had experienced a pregnancy loss to speak about their individual experiences provided a face to the pain of pregnancy loss.

With our true human insight and powerful CTA the message struck a chord, spreading through social and earned media with grieving parents and supporters starting to #UnsilenceTheConversation. The conversation has garnered over 78 million impressions to date showcased on top outlets like CTV National, Toronto Star, Global News, CityNews, MSN, Postmedia, to name a few. Prominent media personalities even joined in the conversation, sharing their own experiences in interviews with our PAIL spokesperson. Families and influencers across the nation immediately related to our message, with a 7200% increase in conversation from before the campaign launched. Awareness for the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Network has also hit an all-time high, with site traffic up 19% and 25% of visitors sharing the Unbirth Announcement video. All without a single dollar in paid media. With all our efforts to break down a taboo and spark change, the conversation has begun to become unsilenced.