Cocogun, UnLtd, Zenith and partners have joined forces to support one in three students who are invisible and lonely when they can't physically attend school due to chronic medical or mental conditions.
Lockdowns taught everyone a vital lesson. Children can – and must – stay connected to their classmates and teachers to overcome negative impacts of school isolation in a health crisis.
The new creative, currently running across OOH, digital OOH, press, digital and social media, is an extension of the ongoing campaign which features a rousing children’s choir covering the iconic ’80s hit ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ by the Scottish rock band Simple Minds.
MissingSchool CEO & co-founder, Megan Gilmour, said before COVID, an estimated 70,000 Australian students experienced chronic school absence due to physical conditions alone.
She said the student cohort now spirals into hundreds of thousands, in the face of rising chronic illness, with the trend of school avoidance underlining urgency.
“Schools can turn ‘telepresence’ back on, post lockdowns, and follow workplaces into the 21st century by championing a ‘learn from anywhere’ system for students who can’t physically attend," said Gilmour.
"This change is not only necessary, it’s immediately achievable at scale. The technology is already in schools. Chronic health challenges continue to drive chronic school absence among a significant group of vulnerable students, leaving them feeling forgotten and isolated from their school community through no fault of their own.
"Our campaign serves as a rallying cry to ensure these students are not forgotten, not isolated. This campaign is delivering incredible results for us with a record influx of donations and enquiries.”
Zenith Media Australia CEO, Jason Tonelli, said the agency is incredibly privileged to be able to work with MissingSchool via its partnership with UnLtd.
"Through our core focus on investment, imagination and insight (ROI3), we are confident that our support will positively impact the lives of many sick children across Australia. We are really proud of this work and thank the entire team for getting behind this important campaign," said Tonelli.
Cocogun creative partner, Ant Melder, said this is such an important issue, the creative agency wanted to land the message in the simplest, most visceral way.
"To remind people that out of sight can often mean out of mind and it’s easy for sick kids to slip off our radars. But through the work MissingSchool are doing, we can keep them connected and included," said Melder.
Credits:
Client: MissingSchool
Cofounder & CEO – Megan Gilmour
Impact Director – Sarah Jones
Social impact partner: UnLtd
Director of Partnerships – Jade Harley
Creative agency: Cocogun
Creative Partner – Ant Melder
Art Director – Jimmy Williams
Art Director – Loz Maneschi
Copywriter – Lewis Clarke
Group Business Director – Emily Hahn
Head of Design – Chris Clausen
Media agency: Zenith
Managing Director – Megan Kay
Media Strategist – Ruby Muller
Senior Account Executive – Gem Harris
Senior Investment Executive – Paige Thompson
Media Coordinator – Mia Fitzpatrick
Digital and Social Media: Half Dome
Activation Executive – Elyse Taylor
Website Development: G Squared
Strategy – George Pappas
Digital Production – Lucien Jankelson
Media partners:
OOH
Cartology, QMS, MOOVE, oOh!, JCDecaux, Alliance, VMO OOH, VMO Cinema
Digital Hoopla, Teads, news.com, Playground XYZ, Broadsheet, Nine
TV / BVOD
Network Ten, Network Nine, Network Seven, SBS, SCA
Audio
ARN Metro, Acast, SCA, NOVA, ARN Regional
News, Nine, ACM, BOFB
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