Children of Shelters

The statistics around childhood homelessness in San Francisco are astounding. So, we used the most compelling fact as our copy line, and visually brought to life the ominous concept of a child’s only home being the streets of San Francisco. To add impact, the ads were placed where the message would truly hit home: In backlit transit placements, which were especially effective when homeless children are at their most vulnerable… At night.

To further bring the campaign to life, we placed rubber ducks and toothbrushes in decorative fountains, and drinking fountains around the city. Each carried our message forcing passersby to ask themselves “Could this be a homeless child’s bathtub? Or her sink?”

On our landing page, visitors were invited to roll over “refrigerator magnets” on a dumpster to discover facts about homelessness in San Francisco, and ultimately to make a donation.

The campaign received local news coverage that solicited a huge response from many San Franciscans including the Mayor’s office. In addition to talk value, the charity saw a huge increase in volunteer inquiries, corporate grants and donations.

Credits:

CD/AD: Dustin Smith
AD: Kelly Colchin
CW: Jon Lancaric
Photographer: Dwight Eschlimann
Agency: DDB West
Client: Children of Shelters