What do you say to parents who just had a child with Down syndrome? You can say almost anything, but the only bad word you can say is the one that begins with the letter “S.”
Titled “The ‘S’ Word,” this video is at the center of the Canadian Down Syndrome Society’s “Anything But Sorry” campaign created and produced by FCB Canada. The video features people with Down syndrome sharing alternate things to say to these new parents–using every inappropriate phrase they know except “sorry.” The point is that the most inappropriate thing to say to parents of a child born with Down syndrome is “sorry” and that the birth of every child should be celebrated.
The current campaign is the follow-up to last year’s “Down Syndrome Answers” which was Canada’s most-awarded campaign in Cannes (2017) with 10 Lions and made FCB Canada the most-awarded Canadian agency in Cannes (2017).
Credits
Client Canadian Down Syndrome Society Agency FCB Canada Nanci Crimi-Lamanna, Jeff Hilts, chief creative officers; Marty Hoefkes, sr. copywriter; Michael Morelli, sr. art director; Cody Sabatine, Gira Moin, art directors; Joseph Vernuccio, copywriter. Production FCB Canada Elias Campbell, director; Stephen Mcloughlin, DP. Editorial Rooster Post Production Chris Parkins, editor; Joey Whitelaw, assistant editor; Melissa Kahn, exec producer. Casting Jigsaw Casting Shasta Lutz Telecine The Vanity Andrew Exworth, colorist. Online Fort York Ernie Mordak, Flame artist; Melissa Vasiliev, assistant Flame artist; Armen Bunag, producer. Music Grayson Matthews Mark Domitric, music producer; Igor Correia, music supervisor; Brian Bernard, sound engineer; Ben Swarbrick, Laura Titchner, sound designers; Sharon Yokoyama, producer; Nicholas Shaw, project coordinator.
Stain remover Vanish presents this emotional short film--created by BETC Havas, Sao Paulo, and produced by LOBO--that explores the profound consequences of bullying and highlights the importance of open conversations between parents and children. Titled The Bully Monster, the animated film premiered at the Maquinaria Festival in Rio de Janeiro on February 15 in a special edition featuring family-focused programming.
The film’s protagonist is a boy who experiences bullying at school but keeps silent about his suffering. Isolation turns sadness into insecurity, creating invisible emotional scars that only grow in the absence of dialogue. When his mother notices stains on his uniform, these marks become the starting point for a revealing conversation. As words find space to make themselves heard, the stains begin to fade.
This initiative aligns with the Vanish Saves Your Uniform campaign, which, for the past three years during the back-to-school season, has engaged with parents by positioning the brand as a trusted partner in preserving school uniforms. This year, Vanish decided to broaden the conversation, bringing bullying into the debate as the real stain that can impact a child’s life.
The Bully Monster is being screened as preshow material in movie theaters starting February 20 and will also be available on streaming platforms and digital channels. In addition to the film, the campaign will include out-of-home activations and school initiatives through a partnership with Abrace – Preventive Programs, the founding organization of the “Bullying-Free Schools” program, which has been equipping institutions with resources to combat school violence for 12 years.
“Research indicates that stains on a uniform can... Read More
