Don’t Panic creates arresting cause commercials. Not just one or two, but dozens over the years. So many different ideas for the same purpose. All hitting the sweet spot of emotional impact. That’s a remarkable achievement.

This year’s Christmas commercial for housing and homelessness charity, Shelter, is its fifth – the story of a young boy with Bonnie Tyler’s ballad, Total Eclipse of the Heart, stuck in his head – which he turns into exuberant performances.

…eventually we discover that it’s the hold music for an accommodation service that has been playing on repeat during his mother’s failed attempts to find housing for them.

The commercial, directed by Partizan director, Michael Gracey [The Greatest Showman & Robbie Williams biopic, Better Man], highlights the record number of families in temporary accommodation this Christmas and the frustration felt by families living in temporary accommodation. Shelter estimates this year a total of 84,240 families in England will wake up on Christmas Day in insecure temporary accommodation, too often crammed into downtrodden B&Bs and hostel rooms, where babies have little room to learn to crawl or walk, while children are forced to share beds and have no space to do homework.

To make the commercial, Shelter and Don’t Panic worked closely with people who have lived experience of temporary accommodation to understand the true human cost of homelessness. The team decided the schoolboy should sing acapella, rather than with a backing track, in order to stand out among other Christmas adverts of the season that will feature big, glitzy music hits. They also chose an older track that a young boy is unlikely to know, in order for his singing to feel ‘off’ from the beginning of the film.

Mairi MacRae, director of campaigns and policy at Shelter, stated, “With genuinely affordable social homes in short supply, families often face months if not years in cramped, insecure temporary accommodation, with little or no support. Every day we hear from people, like the mother in this film, who are terrified of being stuck living in appalling conditions, watching as damp and mould climb the walls. No family should face homelessness alone. This Christmas, we’ll be doing everything possible to help parents fight for a better home for their children.”

Georgia Stephenson, associate creative director at Don’t Panic London, added, “Music is such a huge part of Earworm. What starts as a source of joy is soon revealed to be the source of much pain and frustration for our family facing homelessness. We all know what it feels like to be left on hold, tormented by a looping track, but when it’s a necessary part of fighting for a safe home for your family, it’s doubly cruel. We hope our film will be as memorable as the earworm itself, to drive those vital donations to Shelter.”

Credits:
Client: Shelter
Creative Agency: Don’t Panic
Founder: Joe Wade
Creative Partner: Rick Dodds
Associate Creative Director: Georgia Stephenson
Art Director: Katie Richardson
Executive Producer: Jennifer Clare Houlihan
Producer: Chloe Shaw
Strategy Director: Michelle Dennis
Client Partner: Jane Marshall
Account Director: Rheia Pannu
Marketing Manager: Mollie Knight
Art Director: Katie Richardson
Designers: Ben Howell & Thiago Valenti

Production Company: Partizan London
Director: Michael Gracey
Managing Director: Jenny Beckett
Head of Production: Ella More O’Ferrall
Producer: Daniel Wheldon
Production Manager: Will Cousins
1st AD: Chris Kelly
Directors of Photography: Benedict Spence & Dave Spearing

Editing: Tenthree
Editor: Ellie Johnson
Edit Assistant: Rebecca Campbell