This is absolute heresy.
This is absolute heresy.
For 90% of Pancreatic Cancer patients, their lives are cut short, often ending their story before it has a chance to really begin. In an open brief for Pancreatic Cancer Canada, I pitched to treat their lives like a movie. Only in this movie, the credits roll way too soon.
Though Roll the Credits remains a spec project, it won the hearts of clients above dozens of other ideas. It proved that a designer can certainly roll up into the advertising space.
This simple to execute campaign idea is based around a Cineplex or TIFF takeover. Pancreatic cancer patients would be invited to write the own life’s credits. Only, these credits wouldn’t roll after the
movie. Just like a diagnosis, they would interrupt what’s planned, and appear before the real movie is set to begin.
The ‘end credits’ would play during the ad space before a movie begins. Audiences would think it’s a glitch; credits appearing at the wrong time. It would soon be revealed that these are the end credits of someone’s life, and the audience would realize they are engaging with some of their final thoughts.
Movie-style posters would display cinematic shots of featured pancreatic cancer patients, and would appear in or near the movie theatres where our credits are rolling. To visually tie everything together, we would include a special PCC logo in a style reminiscent of film festivals and events.
QR codes would be used to direct viewers to donate, or learn more about the cause and featured stories.
In a more tactile execution, the credits would roll alongside archive imagery from the patient who wrote them to show a snapshot of their lives—and the things that would continue if only they hadn’t faced their diagnosis. Audiences would see this behind the scenes look at what their life was, and what it is now after facing a diagnosis…until finally it all disappears.
The end credits aren’t limited to cinemas. They can be brought to life in social posts that pancreatic patients and their families can create and share through the use of a templated tool.
Additionally, every ticket to the show can feature a code or link that takes people to the donation page.
Special thanks to senior writer Jennifer Stapleford for fleshing out copy for this pitch.