Canada: CAMH Foundation’s new campaign – a spotlight on addiction

CAMH Foundation’s new campaign shines a spotlight on addiction, and calls on Canadians to confront the drug crisis, and build a future where no one is left behind
 
CAMH Foundation is putting the spotlight on the approximately 20 Canadians who die from opioid toxicity every day, providing an unexpectedly powerful look at the enormous toll being taken by addiction.

The new effort is bringing attention to the scale and harms of addiction and substance use that CAMH is confronting through its best-in-class research and treatment. It’s part of the organization’s ambitious “No one left behind” fundraising initiative introduced last year with the goal of raising $500 million for life-saving research at Canada’s leading mental health hospital.

An estimated six million Canadians experience addiction in their lifetime, and the number of people visiting CAMH’s Emergency Department (ED) due to amphetamine use increased by 700 per cent between 2014 and 2021. The number of young people coming to its ED for substance use disorders went up by 50 per cent between July 2022 and January 2023.

“We’re in the midst of an unprecedented crisis,” says Dr. Leslie Buckley, CAMH’s Chief of Addictions and a key consultant on the campaign. “CAMH is advancing critical research and treatments that are helping people experiencing substance use issues and their families. By putting a spotlight on addiction, we’re highlighting the struggles that people are facing and the need for urgent investments in solutions that make a difference.”

Created by CAMH’s agency of record Camp Jefferson, the somber spot starkly demonstrates the enormous impact of opioid addiction. It shows Canadians of all ages and backgrounds gathered under a series of spotlights, while a voiceover tells viewers it would be a tragedy to lose one person a day to a drug overdose. Or five. Or seven. With each number cited by the voiceover, a corresponding number of people on the stage are suddenly plunged into darkness.

When the spotlight goes out on the final person, the screen goes momentarily black and a voiceover says, “That’s a crisis.” The music then begins to swell, and the lights come up to show all of the people gathered together once more alongside CAMH staff, showcasing CAMH’s vital role in supporting recovery for people living with addiction.

“We wanted to visualize the catastrophic impact addiction has on Canadians, while still maintaining their humanity,” said Ian Barr, Head of Strategy at Camp Jefferson. “But as dark as the current drug crisis might be, CAMH is a beacon of hope, fighting against the darkness and helping those in need.”

Donations resulting from the program will be used to accelerate mental health research at CAMH and build a new Research & Discovery Centre at its Queen Street site in Toronto. These investments will enable researchers to tackle the mental health and addiction crisis, driving discovery in priority areas such as brain science, youth mental health and health equity.

The integrated campaign is running across TV, online video, print and radio, and is being further amplified on the CAMH and CAMH Foundation’s social channels. Its efforts include a diverse and powerful collection of stories of people with lived addiction experience to highlight its leadership in addiction research and treatment.

“We want people to see this campaign out in the world and know that there’s always hope and help—and they can find it at CAMH,” says Deborah Gillis, President & CEO, CAMH Foundation. “Addiction has touched everyone’s life in one way or another, and as a global leader in mental health research, we have a responsibility to confront this crisis head on. We’re calling on our incredible community of supporters to continue supporting the work that happens at CAMH and help us build a future where no one is left behind.”

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital and one of the world’s leading research centres in its field. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. For more information, please visit camh.ca or follow @CAMHnews and @camhfoundation on X (Twitter).

Campaign Title: Spotlight on Addiction 

Brand Platform: No one left behind

Client: CAMH

CMO & VP, Community Giving and Engagement: Sarah Chamberlin

Director, Brand & Donor Engagement: Meghan Kelly

Director, Strategic Initiatives: Karen Cleveland

Director, Impact Communications: Lisa Plenderleith

Senior Manager, Digital and Acquisition Marketing: Bhairavi Sampat

SVP Public Affairs and Partnerships, Chief Strategy Officer: Lori Spadorcia

Director, Communications and Public Affairs: Paris Semansky

Director, Events, CAMH: Geoffrey Chown

Brand Marketing Manager: Robb Eng

Senior Media Relations Specialist: Sean O’Malley

Media Strategy Manager: Hayley Clark

Manager, Research & Centre of Innovation: Lauren Clegg

Addictions Chief: Dr. Leslie Buckley

Senior Policy Analyst: JF Crépault

Executive Assistant to Sarah Chamberlin: Danielle Flood

Agency: Camp Jefferson

SVP, Director of Creative: Julie Nikolic

SVP, General Manager: Edith Rosa

SVP, Head of Strategy: Ian Barr

Creative Director: Mike Blackmore

Creative Director: Chris Obergfell

Associate Creative Director: Aaron Niven

Associate Creative Director: Ashley Babcock

Associate Creative Director: Dave Fontaine 

Associate Creative Director: Brendhan McCarthy

Group Account Director: Roshel Kidd

Copywriter: Tori Wiley

Designer Director: Leah Renihan

Account Supervisor: Jose Baylon

Account Coordinator: Ashley Lorenzo

Executive Producer: Brenda Surminski

Integrated Production Director: Lily Tran

Production Designer: Ian Flynn

Media Agency: Jungle Media

VP, Media Planning: Derek Laurendeau

Media Supervisor: Karen Chow

Managing Partner: Cindy Drown

Assistant Media Planner: Claudia Boucher

Production Company: Partners Film

Director: Brent Foster

Director of Photography: Kristofer Bonnel

Executive Producer: Gigi Realini

Line Producer: Mollie Rolfe

Editorial: Outsider

Editor: Michael Barker

Executive Producer: Kayan Choi

Editorial Assistant: Nathan Olszewicki

Assistant Editor: Kerstin Juby

Editor: Nathan Olszewicki

Executive Producer: Kristina Anzlinger

Visual Effects: The Vanity

VFX Artist: Sean Cochrane

VFX Artist: Michael Medeiros

Executive Producer: Stephanie Pennington

Post Production: Alter Ego

Senior Colourist: Wade Odlum

Senior Producer: Spencer Butt

Online Editor: Joel Osis

Music and Sound Design: OSO Audio

Audio Creative Director: Harry Knazan

Producer: Jane Heath

Engineer: Omid Geadizadeh

Social Content Editing House: Magic Circle Workshop

Executive Producer: Tiffany Ling

Producer: Lisa Hall

Editor: Mike Colangelo