Starlight Children’s Foundation (Starlight) has launched its new brand TVC as part of a creative campaign, highlighting the very reason Starlight exists – to bring happiness to sick kids when they need it most, through the charity’s vital hospital programs, the Starlight Express Rooms and Captain Starlight.
Created in collaboration with its creative agency, Edge and produced in partnership with Good Oil, the TVC was filmed at Monash Children’s Hospital and is inspired by six-year-old Henry Jenkins’ experience in the hospital with Starlight.
The spot shows the perspective of a sick patient and highlights how overwhelming the experience of being in a hospital can be for a child, especially when receiving a life-changing diagnosis.
The weight of the situation showcases the importance of the work done by Starlight, including the Starlight Express Rooms which are medical-free spaces in children’s hospitals that allow kids to play, laugh and just ‘be kids’.
Kym Forrest, GM of Monash Children’s Hospital, said: “Starlight is such an important part of our hospital and the care we provide to our patients and their families. The Starlight Express Rooms provide entertainment and positive distractions for children, assisting our clinical teams to lift the spirits of patients and support them through challenging times.”
Starlight CEO Louise Baxter said: “For all of us it’s hard to imagine what it would be like to be diagnosed with an illness as serious as cancer. It is frightening. It is socially isolating and stressful. Now, imagine being a child and being faced with this. Starlight’s new campaign highlights the devastating impact of such a diagnosis and the positive impact of Starlight in transforming the experience for seriously ill children and young people.
“We know what happens in childhood lasts a lifetime. Starlight exists because happiness matters and this campaign does a fantastic job of communicating this and Starlight’s important role in brightening lives.”
Edge GM Nicole Gardner noted: “We’re incredibly proud to work with an organisation like Starlight that makes such a huge impact on the lives of seriously ill children and their families. While highlighting some of the more distressing aspects of these hospital experiences can be confronting, it strongly reinforces the importance of their work. The fact that these kids still have a reason to smile is a testament to that.”
The campaign will run across a variety of free to air and paid channels, with media generously donated through media partners secured by global media agency Orion Worldwide.