SickKids and Cossette are calling on people in the Greater Toronto Area and beyond to rally behind the hospital in the new SickKids VS: Join Your Crew campaign which launches on October 1st.
Although SickKids has seen some major successes over the past few years, the fight is far from over. Last October, it kicked off the largest fundraising campaign in Canadian healthcare history – an ambitious effort to raise $1.3 billion in order to build a new SickKids – because twenty-first century medicine shouldn’t be held back by a 1949 building.
“Our goal is to rally the GTA by creating crews, empowering people and bringing them together based on characteristics and passions that they share with others”, says Peter Ignazi, Global Chief Creative Officer at Cossette. “Whether you strut the catwalk or the sidewalk, whether you cycle on two wheels or even in training wheels, or whether you’re a first-miler or a marathoner, we are all a critical part of a SickKids Crew. It’s time to join in the mission to build a new hospital that will lift paediatric healthcare to new heights for future generations.”
Building on the intensity the VS platform has become known for, SickKids VS: Join Your Crew is a call-to-arms for the Cyclists, the Dog People, the Lefties, the Road Runners, the Cosplayers, the Boxers, the Fashionistas and all other crews to come together in support of the kids.
To further inspire Torontonians, a unique influencer strategy was developed working with Citizen Relations. High profile Toronto personalities and social media influencers, such as Canadian Olympic sprinter Andre DeGrasse, Toronto Raptor Fred VanVleet, Canadian actress Torri Webster and lifestyle influencer Allegra Shaw, were integrated into the creative, making them “Crew leaders” and allowing the compelling call-to-action to resonate on a deeper level with their follower base. Influencer relations will help sustain the conversation through to the holiday season.
The 2-minute spot, featuring actor Colm Feore and ET Canada host Cheryl Hickey, will air in cinema and online, in addition to 90 and 60-sec TV spot. The campaign also includes OOH in the Toronto area, digital and social media ads.
