CALM’s stunning installation features 6,929 birthday balloons for those lost to suicide
adam&eveDDB’s latest arresting campaign honors those who died by suicide in the U.K. in the last decade
Editor's Pick
The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and agency adam&eveDDB have teamed up for another powerful anti-suicide campaign, this time blowing up 6,929 birthday balloons for an installation at the Westfield London mall—one for every person lost to suicide in the U.K. in the last decade.
Each balloon has the age of the victim’s next birthday—the one they didn’t reach.
“Missed Birthdays,” which follows the famous campaign “The Last Photo” from 2022, will be live at Westfield London through Wednesday. (Tuesday is World Suicide Prevention Day.) Visitors to the installation will also be able to to hear intimate voice notes from loved ones who have lost a young person to suicide.
The stunt is so powerful because it puts the scale of the problem on display, much as Change the Ref’s “The Lost Class” activation did for gun violence.
“Missed Birthdays” will also be supported by a print and oudoor campaign spotlighting the stories young people lost to suicide, which is now the leading cause of death for people under 34 in the U.K.
Media agency the7stars negotiated media partnerships for the campaign.
CALM and adam&eveDDB worked with Creative Giants on the design and build of the installation. Children's Scrap Project will reuse the balloons for a range of arts and crafts projects after the installation ends.
“It’s devastating for a young person to not make it to their 15th, 16th, 17th birthday. It’s absolutely tragic when that reason is suicide,” said Simon Gunning, chief executive officer at CALM. “We want to thank everyone who shared their stories in this campaign for their strength and courage, and hope it can open up conversations and give everyone the tools to support the young people in their lives.”
“The numbers behind youth suicide are a sobering statistic,” said Ant Nelson and Mike Sutherland, executive creative directors at adam&eveDDB. “Talking about the number of lives lost to this tragedy is one thing, but seeing the sheer volume represented with birthday balloons and the ages these young people didn’t reach is another. We hope that anyone who engages with the campaign will be motivated to use CALM’s tools and help end youth suicide for good.”
“Missed Birthdays” made possible by funding from the Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation.
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Credits
- Date
- Sep 09, 2024
- Client :
- Campaign Against Living Miserably
- Agency :
- adam&eveDDB
- CEO :
- Simon Gunning
- Marketing Director :
- Dipika Saggi
- Delivery Lead :
- Pippa Rogers
- Services Director :
- Wendy Robinson
- Head of PR & Communication :
- Elizabeth Charlesworth
- Social Media Manager :
- Emma O'Sullivan
- Head of Creative Operations :
- Sarah McGuire
- Creative Copy Lead :
- Danny Wright
- Content & Editorial Lead :
- Annabelle Letten
- Performance Marketing Manager :
- Milly Whyman
- Art Director :
- Sam Quinton
- Graphic Designer :
- Georgey Lee
- Chief Creative Officer :
- Rick Brim
- Executive Creative Director :
- Ant Nelson
- Executive Creative Director :
- Mike Sutherland
- Creative :
- Jay Parekh
- Creative :
- Forrest Clancy
- Head of Integrated Production :
- Nikki Cramphorn
- Head of Integrated Production :
- Sally Pritchett
- Head of Print Production & Experiential :
- Jaki Jo Hannan
- Producer :
- Sally Patterson
- Producer :
- Brittany Littlewood
- Assistant Producer :
- Catarina van Leuven
- Producer :
- Hannah King
- Chief Executive Officer :
- Miranda Hipwell
- Business Director :
- Cicely Milsom
- Account Director :
- Carrie Pollock
- Account Executive :
- Jude Green
- Chief Strategy Officer :
- Martin Beverly
- Head of Planning :
- Will Grundy
- Senior Planner :
- Jack Gilbert
- Project Director :
- Rasha Noronha
- Senior Legal Counsel :
- Tom Campbell
- Design :
- King Henry Studio
- Head of Design :
- Scott Silvey
- Designer :
- Oliver Watts
- Head of Artwork :
- Dave Callow
- Designer :
- Sam Harris
- Retouching Studio Manager :
- Jon Webb
- Retoucher :
- Dan Jackson
- Senior Shoot Producer :
- Tara Thompson
- Director Creative Content :
- Stephen Mead
- Print Producer :
- Jay Tijani
- Print Producer :
- Tony Hutton
- Artworker :
- Dean Cronin
- QC Operator :
- Trev Malone
- Technical Motion Lead :
- Sam Kim
- Print Producer :
- Gareth Evans
- Resource Manager :
- Pata Malecka
- Head of Editing :
- James Ireland
- Media Agency :
- the7stars
- Strategy Director :
- Ben Edwards
- Strategy Director :
- Mehul Ashra
- Head of Strategy :
- Chris Gilfoy
- Client Lead :
- Helen Oakley
- Managing Partner :
- Lewis Shaw
- Commercial Lead :
- Michelle Sarpong
- PR Agency :
- Hope & Glory
- Deputy MD :
- Don Ferguson
- Senior Account Director :
- Amber Druce
- Creative Director :
- Amy Jones
- Senior Account Manager :
- Melissa Bristol
- Senior Account Executive :
- Rebecca Buckby
- Account Executive :
- Liam Sheppard
- Account Executive :
- Ella Thompson
- Technical Production :
- Creative Giants
- Director :
- Simon Vaughan
- Design Director :
- Ben Kearns
- Producer :
- Maree Featherstonhaugh
- Balloon Architects :
- Balloon Room
- Technical Production :
- PF Events
- Rigging :
- Outback Rigging
- Walling :
- Conex Walling
- Venue :
- Westfield Rise
- Lighting :
- Event LX
- Audio Post Production :
- 750mph
- Head of Production :
- Olivia Ray
- Sound Engineer :
- Giselle Hall
- Photography Production :
- Together Associates
- Photographer :
- Joss Mckinley
- Producer :
- Jon Simpson
- Casting :
- Six Minutes Casting
- Casting Director :
- Josie Cole
- Co-Founder :
- Rebecca Lloyd-Evans
- BTS :
- Interval Films
- Founder & Director :
- Ollie Larkin
- BTS :
- Obstacle Films
- Founder & Executive Producer :
- Oliver Nias
- Camera Operator :
- Simon Elsbury
- Camera Operator :
- Tom Legge
- Drone :
- London Drone Company
- Drone Capture :
- Ross Turner
- Drone Capture :
- Tim Rundle Spiers
- Photographer :
- Harry Mitchell
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