Agency Sid Lee provides a light-hearted take on one aspect of parental responsibility when it comes to stay-at-home confinement due to the pandemic. In this spot titled “Haircuts,” for which Sid Lee teamed with the Maple Leaf Foods brand, we see the best and worst that home-grown trims have to offer.
Indeed many families have to resort to cutting their kids’ hair. Staying true to Maple Leaf Foods’ brand platform of “We’re For Real”–touting real food stories and demonstrating parent empathy–“Haircuts” offers levity and shows parents that they are not alone in their challenges of raising and taking care of children, especially within this new territory of living in uncertain times.
Credits
Client Maple Leaf Foods Agency Sid Lee, Toronto Jeffrey Da Silva, executive creative director; Matt Fraracci, creative director; Alexandre Pellerin, art director; Amanda Loughran, head of production; Sydney Price, producer; Yanran Zhu, editor.
White Ribbon has launched its “My Friend, Max Hate” campaign in Canada featuring this public service film that follows the journey of a young, isolated boy who becomes influenced by a misogynistic online puppet, “Max Hate.” The PSA reveals how online figures in the manosphere--a network of online communities promoting hateful, misogynistic rhetoric which fuels attitudes among young men and boys that contribute to gender-based violence.
“It’s alarming to see the growing impact of the manosphere and how they are conditioning vulnerable populations such as teens, particularly young men,” said Humberto Carolo, White Ribbon CEO. “These misogynistic online groups have existed for years, but their influence has grown under controversial figures, driving an increase in gender-based violence. With the My Friend, Max Hate campaign, our goal is to expose the damaging influence of misogynistic figures and raise awareness, particularly among young men who are often drawn into these toxic online communities.”
Launching two weeks before Safer Internet Day (February 11), the campaign--from Toronto agency Bensimon Byrne--underscores the importance of online safety and protecting youth through clear content boundaries.
White Ribbon is creating an online resource hub that educates individuals on how to recognize harmful online groups and provides support for young men and boys seeking to escape. Additionally, the campaign will launch a TikTok account, @max_hate_, featuring the PSA ‘My Friend, Max Hate’ puppet to expose how these figures gain influence and spread hate in a space that reaches those most influenced, young men.
The PSA was directed by Angie Bird via Toronto-based Westside Studio.
