Throughout the pandemic, families have used technology to connect. But even now people are beginning to resume normal lives in some countries, a new U.K. campaign from Facebook Portal sets out to emphasize its continued role in helping families share experiences. 

The campaign, promoting Portal Go and Portal+, was created by AMV BBDO, which together with Facebook commissioned research that shows that nearly two million U.K. grandparents only see their grandchildren once a year. Obviously that’s been exacerbated by pandemic lockdowns, but now, even though families can meet again, many are separated by geography. 

Director Joanna Nordahl captured real British families for the campaign; for example, in the first ad, a grandpa waits the whole day until he receives a call from his granddaughter after school to tell him she’s won a gold star for spelling "cucumber."

The campaign will be further brought to life across Facebook’s owned and organic social channels with a collection of short films developed by VMLY&R. It also includes a hyper-local activation in Bournemouth, where messages of love from grandchildren will pop up in digital out-of-home placements all over the town. 

The creative work follows a media partnership with broadcaster ITV, which saw Facebook Portal taking over the channel's programming on Grandparents Day in early October.

"This campaign shines a light on how important the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren really is," said Aaron Hoffman, director of international marketing at Facebook Reality Labs. "There are incredible mental and physical benefits the bond between these two generations can unlock when they’re able to connect more often.”