Knucklehead director Christopher Hewitt helps the NSPCC launch its new campaign, the first within the charity’s rebrand with the strapline, “Every Childhood is Worth Fighting For.” The campaign, which was created by Matt Lee and Pete Heyes at Leo Burnett London, is inspired by childhood dreams and shows how the work the NSPCC does helps children to rebuild their lives, giving them back a childhood full of hope and endless possibility.
The film follows the story of a boy called Alfie who dreams of being an astronaut. The film takes place in his imagination, depicting Alfie on a mission to the moon as he recounts in a voiceover how he and his mother experienced domestic violence and physical abuse, and the help they received from the NSPCC. At the end of the film, Alfie is back in the real world, safe and looking forward to the future. The endline is: “Your donation can take a child anywhere.”
Our hearts are alternately wrenched and warmed by the young boy's tale, showing in no uncertain terms the cost of violence, but also illustrating the happiness of a child free from abuse. The warm visual tones of Alfie happily experiencing astronaut training lends a contrasting poignance to his tragic recollection, expressing how the NSPCC’s protection gives children back the freedom to dream big.
The campaign follows an NSPCC survey, conducted by YouGov, which found that one in seven adults in the UK managed to achieve the job they dreamed about when they were children.* More details about the results will be available at www.nspcc.org.uk/alfie
The TV advert will be supported by a digital campaign across key sites, including the MailOnline, as well as social media activity across Facebook, Twitter and paid search.
The film will be accompanied with a fundraising campaign focused on maximizing the interest generated by Alfie’s message.
Tessa Herbert, NSPCC head of marketing, said: “Childhood should be a time when we’re free to dream. Abuse can destroy that – but it never should. The idea of Alfie came out of the fact that every child is born with hopes and dreams for the future.”
“We wanted to put our services at the heart of the story and tell people how the NSPCC helps children just like Alfie to recover from domestic and physical violence or other abuse. Rather than showing the abuse in a shocking way, we wanted the audience to live out Alfie’s uplifting dreams and layer this with the story of how the NSPCC helped him and his mum.”
The 60-second film is currently airing in the UK and is also available to watch on the NSPCC website: www.nspcc.org.uk/alfie
*All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,029 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 31st July- 4th August 2015. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
About the NSPCC
The NSPCC is the only children’s charity fighting to end child abuse in the UK and Channel Islands. Using voluntary donations, which make up more than 90 per cent of our funding, we help children who’ve been abused to rebuild their lives, we protect children at risk, and we find the best ways of preventing child abuse from ever happening. So when a child needs a helping hand, we’ll be there. When parents are finding it tough, we’ll help. When laws need to change, or governments need to do more, we won’t give up until things improve.
Our ChildLine service provides a safe, confidential place for children with no one else to turn to, whatever their worry, whenever they need help. Children can contact ChildLine 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on 0800 1111 or by visiting www.childline.org.uk
Our free helpline provides adults with a place they can get advice and support, share their concerns about a child or get general information about child protection. Adults can contact the helpline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on 0808 800 5000, by texting 88858 or visiting www.nspcc.org.uk
