What is a home? Four walls and a roof over our heads? This defines the temporary accommodation for thousands of families in the UK. But a home also needs to be liveable. And that is missing from the common misconception of a home.
The campaign for Dude London and homelessness charity, SHELTER, shows that many people are stuck in accommodation that is mould-infested, cramped, noisy and devoid of basic facilities for cooking, heating or washing, they may be houses – but they’re certainly not homes.
Thweir campaign, Our house is not a home, hijacks pop and ska band, Madness’, 1982 hit, Our House, to highlight the impact and injustice of the UK’s housing emergency and how poor and unsafe living conditions are impacting people’s futures, in particular children.
The campaign is led by a music video juxtaposing the unchanged lyrics of Our House, that evokes a sense of nostalgic optimism in the original version of the song, with stark new visuals to paint a bleak experience of families living in temporary accommodation, aka the housing that local councils provide to people or families experiencing homelessness.
With a hauntingly stripped-down acoustic arrangement of the Madness track in the background, the 60-second commercial was shot on film and directed by Milo Blake through Spindle.
Lines such as “Father wears his Sunday best” and “Sister’s sighing in her sleep” are overlaid with scenes of dad attempting to spray black mould off the ceiling and a young girl forced to share a bed with her siblings, as sirens blare and neighbours argue through the walls. The hard-hitting film makes references to the fact that temporary accommodation arrangements often last for months or years, with households moved from place to place at short notice, negatively affecting education, work, health, community, and finances.
The campaign is supported by HSBC UK. HSBC UK and Shelter are working in partnership to help people and families across the UK build financial resilience – support that can make a real difference when the unexpected happens.
The full campaign pans TV, online video and social to raise awareness and drive donations by igniting a national conversation about what truly makes a house a home.
Mairi MacRae, director of campaigns and policy at Shelter, stated, “We’re incredibly grateful to the team at DUDE for their fantastic efforts in bringing Our House to life, and shining a spotlight on the harsh reality faced by thousands of families at the sharp end of the housing emergency.
“Every day, more families are being pushed to the brink of homelessness because private rents are soaring out of reach of local incomes. With so few genuinely affordable social homes available, many people are forced to make impossible choices between putting food on the table or keeping a roof over their heads.
“Together with HSBC UK, we’re working with families to help build financial resilience and stop homelessness before it happens. By centring the experiences of those in damaging temporary accommodation, Our House will be vital in building public support for the fight to end homelessness. Thank you to everyone at DUDE for making this important film a reality.”
Our House songwriters, Chris Foreman and Cathal Smyth, added, “For most, Home is a sanctuary, a place of rest, a place to restore one’s strength to face the daily challenges of Life. We are proud to support Shelter and their work in helping those who, sadly, are without homes”.
Tomás Gianelli O’Ryan, executive creative director DUDE London, commented, “Very few times in life do we get to work on such an important brief, and this one is without a doubt the most urgent we’ve had at Dude London.
Everyone involved (from our clients at Shelter to Milo and Spindle) have been personally committed to the cause and moved mountains to make it happen. I believe this level of dedication shows in the attention to detail and craft of the campaign. Changing the meaning of homelessness is no small task, but we hope we’ve done it justice.”
Credits:
Client: Shelter
Supported by: HSBC UK
Creative Agency: DUDE London
CEO: Francesca Spitali
Executive Creative Director: Curro Piqueras Parra
Creative Director: Tomás Gianelli O’Ryan
Head of Production: Francesca Granata
Client Lead: Hamish Day
Account Director: Jeanine Vette
Account Executive: Giulia Orlandoni
Designer: Ross Warrington
Art Director: Marta Morientes
Copywriter: Victoria D’Andrea
Our House: Written by Chris Foreman and Cathal Smyth
Production Company: Spindle
Director: Milo Blake
Executive Producer: Mayling Wong
Producer: Ayomide Alli
DOP: Ben Fordesman
1st AC: Phil Heron
Production Designer: Violette De Laet
Photographer: Amaka Lin
Edit Company: Cabin
Editor: Emma Backman
Music Supervision Company: Wake the Town
Music Supervisor: Harley Beckmann-Hawksley
Composer: Simon Gwilliam
Performer: Billy Williams
VFX: B Art Studio
VFX Producer: Natali Borte
Audio Post Production: Wave Studios
Grading Company: Company 3
Colourist: Simon Bourne
Colour Producer: Chris Anthony
