2020 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Imitation isn’t a form of flattery in the Government of Ontario’s “Rowan’s Law - The Risk.” The backbone of a campaign to increase awareness of Rowan’s Law – legislation named after a 17-year-old student who died after suffering multiple head injuries – the commercial calls to mind sports marketing’s biggest tropes: the rising athlete staring intently into the camera; bodies crashing and tumbling to the ground; and many other scenes that demonstrate the industry’s “leave nothing behind” mentality. Rethink picked scenes from commercials by iconic brands like Under Armor, Reebok and Nike, and in imitating them, uncovered the danger at their core. The campaign slogan “Risk Everything” becomes “Don’t Risk Everything” as a collapsing body reveals the hidden tag. The campaign, with music and sound design by Grayson Matthews, helped “Rowan’s Law” become the top-searched term in Canada, with the law becoming mandatory for all amateur sports this year.

Credits

Executive Creative Director: Ian Grais, Chris Staples
Creative Director: Christina Yu, Mike Dubrick, Aaron Starkman
Art Director: Zachary Bautista
Writer: Andrew Chhour
Designer: Jake Lim, Hans Thiessen
Strategist: Sean McDonald, Zach Simbrow
Print Producer: Narine Artinian
Studio Artist: Dylan Hamilton
Printing Copany: Print Pro Services
Account Services: Sarah Riedlinger, Megan Christopher