In 2025, The Hospital for Sick Children (known as SickKids) is celebrating its 150-year anniversary and wanted to make a big splash to commemorate this milestone.
As the #2 pediatric hospital in the world, SickKids has a lot to be proud of including countless achievements in research and breakthroughs in children’s health over its 150-year history. But celebrating the hospital’s past would not be true to the spirit of the SickKids brand, nor would it be inspirational enough to compel our mass audience to feel connected enough to the campaign to open their hearts and wallets.
“The Count” is an emotional and motivating piece of film created as a part of the Fight For Every Birthday campaign. Starring 23 real patients of the hospital, and filmed almost entirely within the hospital itself, it uses athletic imagery to create parallels between the aggressive training regimen of a pro athlete, and the fight for their lives that SickKids patients take part in every single day.
As the hero piece of the campaign, the arresting visual metaphors at once transform real-life SickKids patients into heroes while humanizing both them and the brand through one universal insight: every kid deserves a next birthday.
