When parents give birth to a child with Down syndrome, friends, family, and co-workers often say the wrong thing. While they may think being sympathetic is helpful, “sorry” is the last thing these new parents want to hear.
Last year, FCB Canada, helped people to understand Down Syndrome – fighting ignorance – and therefore discrimination – for the Canadian Down Syndrome Society, during Canadian Down Syndrome Week, by letting children with Down Syndrome answer questions themselves – most of the questions coming from parents of unborn children with the condition.
Down Syndrome Answers was hugely successful. It was Canada’s most-awarded campaign at Cannes Lions with 10 Lions and made FCB Canada the most-awarded Canadian agency there. FCB has followed it up for Canadian Down Syndrome Society for Canadian Down Syndrome Week this year, with its new campaign, Anything But Sorry.
When parents give birth to a child with Down syndrome, their friends, family, and co-workers often say the wrong thing. While they may think being sympathetic is helpful, “sorry” is the last thing these new parents want to hear.
At the centre of the awareness campaign is a video, called The ‘S’ Word, in which people with Down syndrome share alternative things to say to these new parents – using every inappropriate phrase they know except “sorry”. The point is, the most inappropriate thing to say to parents of a child born with Down syndrome is “sorry” and the birth of every child should be celebrated.
There’s also a touching behind-the-scenes video called, Why Sorry is a Bad Word.
The film directs viewers to the campaign website where some of the lines from The S Word have been made into e-cards and actual printed cards.
People are encouraged to share a card to help reach the goal of welcoming all 9,363 babies born with Down syndrome in North America this year. When the goal is reached, a thank you video from the same cast will be released. The site also gives people the opportunity to purchase a set of printed Anything but Sorry congratulations cards, with proceeds benefiting the Canadian Down Syndrome Society.
“Last year, with Down Syndrome Answers, we focused on what happens when parents find out that their unborn child has Down syndrome,” explained Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, chief creative officer, FCB Canada. “This year, with Anything But Sorry, we’re building on that and focusing on what happens when those babies are born and what happens next.”
Last year in North America 9,363 babies were born with Down syndrome. Kirk Crowther, national executive director of CDSS, admits that many of those births weren’t celebrated as joyously as they should have been.
“We want to help change the dialogue around those mixed feelings and encourage people to treat the birth of a baby with Down syndrome just as they would any other baby,” he stated.
While the campaign targets those who might struggle with what to say to new parents of a baby born with Down syndrome, it also addresses the mixed feelings that parents might have about their own reactions to their baby’s birth. Since they are less likely to post a baby announcement on social media if their child is born with Down syndrome, Anything But Sorry uses Facebook’s Life Events feature to offer them a second chance to add that missing post and celebrate the birth of their child with friends and family.
Another component of the campaign is directed at doctors, who will be sent information by direct mail encouraging them to change how they speak to parents who have a baby born with Down syndrome.
“Often, for parents, the most jarring reaction is that from their doctor,” explained Ben Tarr, member of the CDSS Board of Directors, and father of six-year-old Leo, who was born with Down syndrome. “I wish those who first told us that Leo had Down syndrome had been trained in what a negative sentiment like sorry does to a person. I hope targeting doctors helps those in the medical community understand the power of their words. It’s not going to be easy, sure, but don’t be sorry.”
Like Down Syndrome Answers, Anything But Sorry uses Google AdWords to answer some of the top search queries made by friends and family when a child is born with Down syndrome. When people Google questions like, “What do you say to parents who just had a baby with Down syndrome?” The top result will direct them to videos of individuals with Down syndrome answering their question—that you should say the same thing as you’d say to the parents of any new baby.
Credits:
Creative Agency: FCB Canada
Chief Creative Officers: Nancy Crimi-Lamanna & Jeff Hilts
Senior Copywriter: Marty Hoefkes
Senior Art Director: Michael Morelli
Art Directors: Cody Sabatine & Gira Moin
Copywriter: Joseph Vernuccio
Illustrators: Sasha Ortega, Elma Karabegovic, Sarah Cleaver, Amanda Disanto & Sally Fung
Chief Executive Officer: Tyler Turnbull
Vice President, Managing Director: Tracy Little, Ricky Jacobs
Group Account Director: Ravi Singh
Account Executive: Olivia Selbie
Director of Integrated Production: Stef Fabich
Broadcast Producer: Christine Michalejko
Chief Strategy Officer: Shelley Brown
Senior Strategic Planner: Eryn LeMesurier
Strategist: Shelagh Hartford
UX Lead: Kristy Pleckaitis
Project Manager: Ashley Whitaker
Technology & Development
Director of Technology: Madara Ranawake
Front End Developer: Florian Adu-Gyamfi
QA Manager: Lina Vaisman
Print Producer: Bruce Ellis
Director: Elias Campbell
Director & DOP: Scott Drucker
DOP: Stephen Mcloughlin
Editing House: Rooster Post Production
Executive Producer: Melissa Kahn
Editor: Chris Parkins
Assistant Editor: Joey Whitelaw
Editing: Scott Drucker & Joële Walinga @ Radar
Transfer Facility: The Vanity
Colourist: Andrew Exworth
Post production: Fort York
Music House: Grayson Matthews
PR: Shannon Stephaniuk, Glossy
Client: Canadian Down Syndrome Society
Canadian Down Syndrome Society Credits
Chair, Board of Directors: Laura LaChance
Vice-Chair, Board of Directors: Ed Casagrande
Member, Board of Directors: Ben Tarr
Member, Board of Directors: Stewart Moffatt
National Executive Director: Kirk Crowther
Communications Manager: Kaitlyn Pecson
Resource Coordinator: Carlee Reardon
