Experience the video below with the sound on and your eyes closed. You might not be able to get through to the end. It’s harrowing. It’s sixty seconds of a drowning child calling out to her father. It takes a simple phrase that all Irish parents are used to hearing daily and gradually changes its meaning.
It comes from a radio campaign by Irish agency, Boys+Girls, for Swim Ireland for Drowning Prevention Week, an initiative of Swim Ireland and the Royal Life Saving Society. The campaign is especially important this summer, as more people than ever are visiting Irish beaches due to the fact that Covid-19 has caused the closure of supervised swimming pools and has restricted international travel.
Fiona Whelan, Swim Ireland’s director of sponsorship, commented, “Drowning is the 2nd biggest cause of accidental deaths for Irish children. So, this Drowning Prevention Week we are appealing to all Irish people to #BeALifesaver. This radio ad will hopefully grab people’s attention and will make it clear to guardians that they should never take their eyes off their children when they are in the water.”
Kris Clarkin, creative director at Boys+Girls, added, “This radio spot was designed to bring the dangers of swimming unsupervised into sharp focus for the listener. Radio is an incredibly powerful medium for this type of message. Our hope is that it starts a conversation in Ireland and acts as a reminder to parents and guardians of the importance of supervising children in the water.”
The spot was sound designed by Mutiny Studios and recorded on location on Sandymount Beach and Marion College swimming pool.
Credits:
Agency: Boys + Girls Dublin
Creative Directors: Kris Clarkin & Laurence O’Byrne
Copywriters: Kris Clarkin & Eoin Conlon
Producer: Keeva Bolger
Executive Relationship Director: Caroline Keogh
Account Manager: Hannah Hewetson
Motion Graphics Design: Patrick Horan
Cinematography: Niall Meehan
Sound Design: Mark Richards @ Mutiny Child
Voiceovers: Hannah Galvin & Cian Hoyne
Client: Swim Ireland
Head of Education: Joni Harding
