Ad campaign uses babies to deliver a message to Britain's new government

Sixteen years is a long time. So it's sobering that where you're born in the UK can shorten your life by up to 16 years due to factors like income, housing, and air quality. Evidence shows that these health inequalities are getting worse.

Hence, Make Health Equal – a campaigning coalition of 27 member organisations, including Mind, the British Red Cross, Citizens Advice Bureau, Shelter, Crisis and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation – is calling on the government to fix the stark health inequalities that are cutting lives short across the UK every year.

To shine a spotlight on the issue, Health Equals recently partnered with Don't Panic, a design agency known for its ground-breaking work with charitable organisations and purpose-led brands.

Hard to ignore

A certified B-Corp, Don't Panic is a strategy and creative agency in London specialising in creative marketing and advertising campaigns that inspire action. Their clients include WaterAid, NSPCC, Netflix, Google, Amazon Prime and Greenpeace, and their work has won accolades at some of the biggest award shows, including BAFTA, Cannes Lions, D&AD and Clio Awards.

The campaign is titled 'Britain's Youngest Protest'. Renowned photographer Emli Bendixen travelled the country to photograph 50 babies in 50 homes: a snapshot of the country and a time capsule of our newest generation.

Don't Panic recruited these babies to be the faces of the nationwide multimedia campaign. Each baby represents its local area and its life expectancy.

It seems obvious to state that they are each equally as precious, loved and full of potential. But the health data that sits alongside their imagery tells a different story.

Each baby wore a onesie with their hometown written on it, and their photograph was turned into a placard with their life expectancy etched on it. Standing 10 feet tall, with each placard being A0, the 50 babies create a narrative that is hard to ignore.

Making statistics real

"Visiting 50 homes across the country made the statistics very real to me," says Georgia Stephenson, senior creative at Don't Panic. "The UK has palpable inequality, and the people whose lives it impacts are, of course, entirely undeserving of it. In some places, there's over a decade of difference in life expectancy. How can it be this way in 2024?"

The stunt occurred as the nation prepared for the General Election, with an open letter addressed to "The Next Government" stating: "Through no fault of our own, our lives are being cut short by things like low-paid work, poor housing and polluted air. This has to change [...] There's no time to lose; thousands of our lives depend on it. Britain needs better policies now to #MakeHealthEqual."

Support for the campaign came from author, musician and social commentator Darren McGarvey, who spoke about his first-hand experience of homelessness and addiction when he attended the stunt on launch day. Through interviews with media and social content, Darren was able to speak to the vital need for the campaign and make a direct appeal to the government to make tackling health inequalities a priority.

Jaya Jackson, a Manchester parent whose child was photographed for the protest, said: "By participating in this campaign, we aim to raise awareness and drive change so that ALL children, no matter their circumstances, can grow up in a fairer and healthier society. Being part of this impactful initiative enables us to contribute to a cause that resonates deeply with our values and aspirations for a better future."

"I was incredibly moved by the wonderful parents who allowed us to photograph their gorgeous children for this important campaign," says photographer Emli Bendixen. "Their openness and trust in the cause is why this came together like it did. As a team, we felt privileged to meet so many children so clearly surrounded by love."

Campaign rollout

Throughout July, the campaign will be spread across social media and digital media spaces. Advertising will run in key locations across the country: Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Plymouth, Gateshead, Bradford, and Margate.

The babies featured on each billboard are local to the area, creating a real and authentic message. Geo-targeted social assets also reveal people's life expectancy wherever they are standing to make the issue hit home.

Full-service communications and marketing consultancy Hollr is complementing the Out of Home activity through earned media in regional press, helping to sustain the conversation around the campaign.

Accompanying film

Don't Panic also worked with director Imogen Harrison to create a moving online film that features the real moments of two toddlers, Lorcan and Louis, experiencing their first milestones. The two are identical in so many ways, from their age, ethnicity, and gender to their love for their sisters, snacks, and making a mess.

The film celebrates all the endearing qualities that these two children share, the kind of characteristics that are universal, only to reveal the stark difference between them: that one of these babies will statistically face a much shorter life than the other.

As part of the wider campaign, Health Equals and Don't Panic captured real reactions from the public to hear the conversations happening 'on the ground' across the country.

A film crew travelled to eight different cities to interview people on the street and asked them what they think the average life expectancy in their area is and the things that contribute most to their health, creating a series of regional vox pop videos that will be live on social media and geo-targeted to help members of the public understand how their local communities feel.