In this great ad for SickKids Hospital (aka The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto), children battling illnesses are depicted as gladiators. Via Adweek:
In the centerpiece anthem, titled “SickKids VS: Undeniable,” ailing children, alongside their families, doctors, nurses and other hospital staff, all gird for battle—as medieval soldiers, pro wrestlers taking baseball bats to dialysis machines, and comic book superheroes.
It’s a gripping two-minute argument from agency Cossette—more than anything, for the power of imagination as a vehicle for hope, and metaphor as a medical tool. Anyone who has struggled through a serious illness, or watched someone else do it, knows that defiance isn’t to be undervalued. This takes that basic insight to new heights, with enough of a playful tone to match and address its core subjects.
More than 50 SickKids patient families agreed to participate in the film, and 100 staff members from the hospital also lent a hand, on or off camera.
To be clear, the fight imagery—interspersed with medical animations, neon motion graphics naming diagnoses, and dramatic footage of life-or-death moments during care for context—is impressive in its own right. But it’s the soundtrack, “Undeniable” by Donnie Daydream featuring Richie Sosa, that pushes the spot into extraordinary territory.