FCB Canada signs Endangered Syndrome campaign for Canadian Down Syndrome Society

Cristina Blanaru Creativity, CSR

The Canadian Down Syndrome Society (CDSS) is applying to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the organization that manages the Red List of Threatened Species, to have people with Down syndrome become the first humans to ever be included, in an effort to advocate for similar kinds of funding, protections, government intervention and public awareness that species on the Endangered List receive.

CDSS is launching its Endangered Syndrome campaign to coincide with Canadian Down Syndrome Week from November 1-7, 2018. In addition to the IUCN application, the campaign includes a series of videos and print ads featuring people with Down syndrome representing endangered species. Lines like “A lion can roar for help. I can only ask” and “Just as fierce. Just as endangered” are designed to raise awareness of the issues they face. The campaign was created pro-bono by Toronto-based agency FCB Canada.

You may not think about it, but the reality is that people with Down syndrome face far more challenges than most of us, and they need more support than they’re getting. Whether it’s underfunded support programs for education, higher rates of unemployment, extended waitlists for appropriate housing, or even just negative public perception and stigma, the challenges faced by people with Down syndrome aren’t decreasing-they’re increasing

Laura LaChance,

Board Chair CDSS

CDSS has enlisted the help of environmental lawyer Adam Chamberlain to submit a letter of application to the IUCN. The goal is to present the application and petition of the public’s support to the United Nations on World Down syndrome Day on March 21, 2019, in the hopes of starting a conversation about funding. Supporters are asked to visit EndangeredSyndrome.com to sign a petition supporting the application to the IUCN and to take part in the UN petition.

The campaign is supported by candid interviews with parents, people living with Down syndrome and experts that serve to deepen the dialogue surrounding the challenges people in the Down syndrome community face. The campaign also includes posters, billboards and pre-roll videos directing people to EndangeredSyndrome.com, where the public can get more information, support the application to the IUCN, spread the message and donate to the CDSS so people with Down syndrome can live their best, protected lives.

We wanted to find a provocative way to raise awareness around the need for funding and support for this incredible group of people (…) We are proud to be partners with CDSS in this effort and hope the outcome is more protection for people living with Down syndrome.

Nancy Crimi-Lamanna,

Chief Creative Officer FCB Canada

“Endangered Syndrome” is The Canadian Down Syndrome Society’s latest campaign launched in support of the community, following the globally awarded and highly acclaimed “Down Syndrome Answers” and “Anything but Sorry” initiatives launched in 2016 and 2017.

Credits 

Campaign Title: Endangered Syndrome

url: https://www.endangeredsyndrome.com

Client: Canadian Down Syndrome Society

  • Chair: Laura LaChance
  • Vice Chair: Ed Casagrande
  • Marketing & Communications Manager: Kristen Halpern
  • Governance Committee: Stewart Moffatt
  • Board Member: Ben Tarr

Creative Agency: FCB Canada

  • Chief Creative Officer: Nancy Crimi-Lamanna & Jeff Hilts
  • Group Creative Director: Andrew MacPhee
  • Sr. Art Director: Michael Morelli
  • Sr. Copywriter: Marty Hoefkes
  • Art Director: Cody Sabatine
  • Copywriter: Joseph Vernuccio
  • VP, Managing Director: Tracy Little
  • VP, Managing Director: Tim Welsh
  • Group Account Director: Ravi Singh
  • Account Supervisor: Olivia Selbie
  • Account Executive: Alex Kreinces
  • Agency Producer: Katherine Forester
  • Director of Project Management: Shandi Horovitch
  • Project Manager: Elizabeth Lane
  • Chief Strategy Officer: Shelley Brown
  • Planning Director: Eryn LeMesurier
  • Research: Paul Gareau, Kantar Millward Brown

PR: Shannon Stephaniuk, Glossy

Lawyer: Adam Chamberlain, Environmental Law

Articling Student: Chris Hummel

Production Company: Radar

  • Director: Scott Drucker
  • Producer: Katherine Forester
  • Line Producer: Sarah Kravetz
  • Director of Photography: Scott Drucker & Chet Tilokani
  • Camera Operator: Scott Drucker & Chet Tilokani

Editing House: Saints Editorial

  • Editor: Michael Ofori-Attah and Jason Grebski

Transfer Facility: The Vanity

  • Colourist: Andrew Exworth

Online Facility: The Vanity

Music House: Silent Joe

  • Music Track Director: Jody Colero
  • Engineer: John Hurlbut
  • Composer: Benjamin Pinkerton

Animation: Michael Medeiros

Costume Design:  Lea Krpan & Nikola Milic

Website design: Happiness Saigon

Media Agency: UM Canada