#StayHomeHeroes is a proactive campaign created by Iris. Behind it is a simple idea – fight lockdown fatigue, support fundraising for the NHS by celebrating the Heroes who are staying at home and respond to the government’s call for agencies to help drive the Stay At Home message.
The campaign was created with HEROES (Healthcare; Extraordinary; Response; Organisation; Education; Support), a charity founded and staffed by frontline NHS workers and their families to link donors, providers and NHS staff to one another. It is made up of imagery captured by 26 professional photographers, hand-picked by Iris to answer its brief – to use family & friends as the sitting subjects, while adhering to the strict isolation rules to capture their Stay Home Heroes. The result is a selection of quirky images that glorify mundane, domestic tasks as legendary heroic triumphs that help save lives.
The campaign has been created for social and is inviting people to join the #StayHomeHeroes social media challenge, by taking a heroic picture of a friend or family member, tagging the Heroes charity, @helpthemhelpus_, and nominating a friend to do the same – spreading the message further.
“Since word of the campaign broke on social, photographers and creatives have been coming forward in droves take part and help make a difference. We’ve been overwhelmed by the response to the campaign and are delighted to say that Clear Channel has donated a week’s worth of 48 sheet OOH spots nationwide, which are now live across the UK,” iris noted.
#StayHomeHeroes was created in under 14 days, from initial briefing of photographers to the final retouched imagery being live in OOH across the country. Flatmates and partners became models, make-up artists and stylists were dialled in, art directors and tech assistants advised via Zoom, some even had remote-controlled cameras operating in their assistant’s homes.
After lockdown, the professional photography will be exhibited at a gallery event selling limited edition photography prints and books, donated by printed.com to continue to raise funds for Heroes.
Ross Taylor, Creative Director, Iris, commented, “As we pass ‘peak’ and begin to face lockdown fatigue a huge number of people from all demographics will continue to flout the government’s advice to stay home, potentially putting an unimaginable amount of lives at risk. This project is about shifting the focus from shaming ‘flouters’ to a positive celebration of all the people who are abiding by the lockdown rules. The ambition is to promote behaviour change through example and raise money for an awesome cause that’s protecting the people on the frontline – HEROES.”
NHS director and co-founder, Dominic Pimenta, added, “We are dedicated to a single ideal, ‘anything that makes an NHS worker’s life better. This crisis will see many of my colleagues face the most challenging time of their lives. The government and management are swamped already, so we set up HEROES to support the frontline workers for now and far into the future. We must do all we can to protect and defend it at this difficult time. We can get through this together if we help them, help us.”
HEROES has been working with global brands, high profile ambassadors and the public to respond to needs during the health crisis. Joe Cole, the former England footballer and his wife Carly joined the team as founding members and ambassadors for HEROES. “This is a fantastic new initiative set up to support the frontline NHS workers, the real heroes ‘digging in’ for us in very difficult circumstances. We, the British public can help with this. It is a call of our generation to stick together.”
To join the effort or to sign up as a partner, visit www.helpthemhelpus.co.uk. To donate instantly to the appeal, please click here: gofundme
Credits
Creative Agency: Iris
Executive Creative Director: Grant Hunter
Creative Director: Ross Taylor
Executive Producer: Lu Howlett & Dawn Moretti
Design Director: David Missen
Planner: Florence Evans
PR: Fran Derry, Rachel Allison, Poppy Richards & Rachel Geraghty
Photographers:
Alex Telfer
Amelia Troubridge
Dan Burn Forti
David Boni
Emma Hardy
Fern Beressford
Gabirela Motola
Gary Salter
George Logan
Gray Hughes
Jack Terry
Jason Knott
Jon Austin
Katinka Herbert
Linda Brownhill
Marie Schuller
Martin Beck
Marco Mori
Micaela McLucus
Simon Webb
Owen Harvey
Rihannon Adam
Roo Lewis
Sacha Goldberger
Sam McElwee
Sam Robinson
Trevor Ray Hart
