The Birth of SickKids’ VS campaign — Partners In Possibility
Partners In Possibility

The Birth of SickKids’ VS campaign

· 26 min
Partners In Possibility · Ready to play
The Birth of SickKids’ VS campaign
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About this episode

One simple idea forever changed the face of charity: Sickness doesn’t mean weakness.
To meet the aggressive fundraising goals of Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, creative agency Cossette decided to stop talking like a charity brand and start acting like a performance brand. It showed the world what it looks like when sick fights back.

Launched in 2016, SickKids’ VS brand had the ambitious target of raising $1.5 billion – making it the largest fundraiser in Canadian health care history. By March of 2023, that $1.5-billion target had been met.

The campaign was a big risk with the bold ‘VS’ concept, and there was a media ‘backlash’, but that drew more supporters out of the woodwork.
The risk paid off, and the VS brand strategy became an instantly recognisable hit, with celebrities taking part (Cold Play’s ‘Fix You’ was donated for 30-second spots), and people got VS tattoos.
In this episode, we take a look back at where it all began. The idea, the origin story, the objective and the risk.

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Partners In Possibility

About Partners In Possibility

Plus Company

In an ever-changing world it’s all about staying connected, building connections, and seeing where the next collaboration takes a marketing campaign. From an initial brief to the follow-through, teamwork, and final execution:What paths are going to make a campaign’s success more than a possibility?Join host Brett March…

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