Brief Explanation

When a child goes missing in China, TIME is of the essence. But by law, the child needs to be gone for 24 HOURS just to be listed as missing. By that time, it’s normally too late… FACT: CHILDREN WHO GO MISSING IN CHINA FOR MORE THAN ONE HOUR ARE UNLIKELY EVER TO BE FOUND AGAIN. China has millions of smartphone users. So using location-based technology, we created a mobile app that unlocks the power of every smartphone to form an instant community watch—the MOMENT a child goes missing.

Results and Effectiveness

By harnessing the collective power of smartphones, help is now at your fingertips the MOMENT it’s needed the most. Over 80,000 downloads in one month. That’s 80,000 instant search volunteers forming a real-time community watch.

Creative Execution

Save The Children endorsed and promoted ‘Missing Child’ Lock Screens across a variety of channels. Print, poster and radio spots kicked off the launch whilst online banner ads drove people to download the app.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

China has millions of smartphone users. By going directly to millions of mobile users in China, ‘Missing Child’ Lock Screens harnesses the collective power of every smartphone to form an instant community watch—the MOMENT a child goes missing. So help is now at your fingertips when it’s most needed, with every device feeding into a real-time direct response network. Best of all, ‘Missing Child’ Lock Screens works both ways—whether you help someone find their missing child or if you’re unlucky enough to have your child go missing. The campaign targeted any discerning parent in China with a smartphone.