Brief Explanation

The key challenge was to find a powerful, engaging way to connect the target audience to the issue. And find a relevant media and opportunity to do so. Our key objective was to get them to rethink the issue of child labour and be more active in helping to stop it.

The Brief

Around the world, one child in every seven is a child labourer. That's over 250 million kids robbed of their childhood, from as young as 5 years old. One way to stop the cycle is to provide them with an education. Metro for Children, a charity initiative, wanted to raise funds for that, while also increasing awareness of the issue.

How the final design was conceived

The best time to reach out to the shoppers is when they're thinking of children. That is, when buying toys. Combining that with the insight - what's used by child labourers to make a living, could just be toys to another child - toy packaging was the perfect solution. So we created 3 different toy boxes. These looked ordinary at first, but later, left shoppers with a surprise. We twisted text on the boxes, such that they reflected child labourers' sufferings. The boxes were placed in a department store, with a 'sales promoter' to share details and encourage donations.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

Throughout the one-month campaign, funds were raised for the education and rehabilitation of child labourers. Many shoppers wanted to take the boxes back to help spread the word. Beyond these, we got people to re-think what they are buying. And how they have the power to change the lives of the victims.