SickKids: The Count
SickKids Foundation tasked FCB Toronto with leveraging their 150th anniversary to drive donations during a quiet spring period. They needed to evolve the 'SickKids VS' platform to feel more hopeful and human, moving away from pure aggression toward the tangible reward of medical care for Canadian families and global donors.
Creative Idea
Used a rhythmic 1-to-150 countdown to equate the hospital's age with children's survival milestones.
To celebrate its 150th anniversary, SickKids reframed the hospital's legacy not as a history lesson, but as a relentless count of birthdays won, using a rhythmic, high-stakes countdown to dramatize the life-or-death struggle children face to reach their next milestone.
Counting 150 Years of Birthdays Won
The campaign achieved a staggering 44.1% increase in donation revenue and a 50.9% lift in average donation size, proving that a powerful brand narrative can drive record-breaking results outside the traditional year-end giving season. By launching on April 3, 2025 - the exact 150th anniversary of the hospital’s first patient, a three-year-old named Maggie - the foundation bypassed the "cluttered" holiday market to dominate the spring fundraising landscape.
Real Patients and Rhythmic Direction
Director Clément Durou (of We Are From LA) utilized a "tapestry" cinematography style to weave together gritty athletic metaphors with surrealist birthday imagery. To maintain the authenticity of the "SickKids VS" legacy, the film featured a cast of 23 real-life patients. The driving force of the spot is a child’s voice counting from 1 to 150, a device that simultaneously honors the hospital's history and the medical milestones of its children. This was paired with a cinematic reinterpretation of the "Happy Birthday" melody produced by Soundtree Music.
Global Balloons and Ryan Reynolds
The initiative extended far beyond Toronto through the "Balloon Spotting" activation, which placed 150 blue balloon sculptures in international locations like South Africa, China, and the Caribbean to highlight the hospital's global medical influence. This PR push generated over 502 million earned impressions. Long-time supporter Ryan Reynolds amplified the reach via social media and a surprise appearance at Nathan Phillips Square, where he advocated for renaming a hockey arena in honor of Grace Bowen, a nine-year-old patient he had befriended. Notably, lead agency FCB Canada shares a deep historical connection with the brand, having been founded in 1873 - just two years before the hospital opened its doors.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
A 150-year legacy of pediatric excellence and the iconic 'VS' platform's established fighting spirit.
Category
Anniversary campaigns usually look backward with nostalgic montages and historical milestones that feel passive and disconnected from today.
Customer
Donors want to feel their contribution has a tangible, life-changing outcome rather than just supporting a large institution.
Culture
The universal emotional weight of a child's birthday becomes a high-stakes symbol of survival and medical victory.
Company
A 150-year legacy of pediatric excellence and the iconic 'VS' platform's established fighting spirit.
Category
Anniversary campaigns usually look backward with nostalgic montages and historical milestones that feel passive and disconnected from today.
Strategy:
Reframe institutional longevity as a cumulative tally of individual survival milestones to drive urgent donor participation.
Customer
Donors want to feel their contribution has a tangible, life-changing outcome rather than just supporting a large institution.
Culture
The universal emotional weight of a child's birthday becomes a high-stakes symbol of survival and medical victory.
Strategy:
Reframe institutional longevity as a cumulative tally of individual survival milestones to drive urgent donor participation.
Strategy Technique
Reframe the Problem
Instead of a traditional retrospective, the campaign reframes the 150-year milestone as a continuous battle for more birthdays, shifting the focus from past achievements to the urgent, ongoing mission.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Unexpected audio
The rhythmic counting from 1 to 150 serves as both a medical countdown and a celebration of longevity, turning a simple vocal exercise into a high-tension heartbeat for the film.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
The campaign's power lies in its visceral cinematography and masterful sound design, which transform a hospital setting into a cinematic battlefield.
The use of dynamic camera movement and high-contrast lighting elevates the hospital environment into a grand, cinematic stage for the children's struggle.
The rhythmic integration of medical beeps, chanting, and percussive beats creates a driving, emotional pulse that dictates the ad's intensity.
The rapid-fire intercutting between medical reality and metaphorical 'training' creates a powerful sense of urgency and grit.
The creative use of everyday hospital objects to build surreal battlegrounds, like the balloon boxing ring, is both imaginative and poignant.
The synergy between the rhythmic sound design and the fast-paced editing creates a visceral experience that makes the viewer feel the 'fight' of the children.
