Liam Vanden Branden’s father wants to change his son’s name. Liam has been missing since 1996.
It’s not abandonment. It’s a plea for reconnection.
The father has requested his son change his name to Thibaut Courtois, the name of the world-famous Real Madrid Belgian goalkeeper. 450,000 people search the internet each month for that name. Few search Liam Vanden Branden’s.
The campaign idea comes from VML Belgium, for Child Focus in honour of International Missing Children’s Day on May 25. The campaign aim is to breathe new life into the search for Liam. Because even after so many years, Child Focus and his loved ones do not give up.
Juliette Goormans’ family have also requested a name change. Juliette was last seen on November 14, 2022, in Vedrin, not far from her school. Since then, there has been no trace of her. For this disappearance, Child Focus and the police are urgently seeking new clues. By changing her name to Nafi Thiam, the Olympic and world heptathlon champion, more people will see her search notice. Both Liam and Juliette were given not just any famous names. Both names are heavily searched on the internet. Thibaut Courtois is even one of the most searched Belgians in the world. With both the Champions League final and the Olympic Games approaching, the number of searches for both names will peak significantly.
To enable the name change, the families of both children submitted an application to the Federal public service Justice. No one expects approval, but the symbolic value behind this action is of much greater importance. “A name is often the first thing you give a child. We therefore believe it is very important to continue to ask for attention for long-term missing children and to keep telling their story. The smallest tip, however minimal it may seem, can lead to a breakthrough. So we must not give up hope and must always keep searching,” stated Nel Broothaerts of Child Focus. Both Thibaut Courtois and Nafi Thiam gave permission for the use of their names and support the campaign.
In addition to the search campaign running on YouTube and Google, the campaign will also be visible in public spaces. Just like other missing person notices, those of Thibaut and Nafi will appear on digital billboards in stations, on screens in stores and trains, and will be spread via social media. Simply by having the noticeable name, these messages, which might otherwise go unnoticed, will now receive the attention they deserve. Finally, a campaign film was made showing the families of the missing children during their visit to the Federal public service Justice. This can be seen on social media and on the campaign websites.
Credits
Client: Child Focus
Client Team: Stephan Smets, Stéphanie Leyn, Selyna Ayuso Ferrandiz
Agency: VML Belgium
Chief Creative Officer: Klaartje Galle
Executive Creative Directors: Kasper Janssens, Arjen Tarras
Creatives: Tomas Van Loon, Patrick Vermeylen
Strategy: Jef Pelkmans, Gaëlle Maes
Media strategy: Zachary Jepsen, Koen Speelmeijer
Account Team: Pieter Van Schil, Molly Waeytens
Designers: Timothy Helmer, Sofie Luyckx
Copywriters: Yves Donceel, Gavin Watt
Developers: Sam Serrien, Stijn Van Minnebruggen, Bram Verdyck
Head of Film Production: Ingeborg Van Hoof
Agency Producers: Thomas Anthoni
Motion Design: Mikael Naudet
Sound design: Menno Van Riet
Director: Lieven Bulckens
DOP: Rik Zang
Gaffer: Theo Fernandez
