2025 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Kids Help Phone (KHP) is Canada’s only 24/7, free, confidential, and multilingual e-mental health service, with two distinct audiences: young people who may not yet know where they can get support, and adults who need to be part of the solution through donations.

In a country where sport brings generations together, the 2024 Olympics would capture national attention. So, they asked: how can KHP show up in the world of sport to get everyone — youth and adults alike — thinking about youth mental health?

Mental health support is critical beyond crisis. 95% of youth athletes report elevated stress levels — that’s double that of their non-athlete peers — and most stay silent.

As part of their strategy, the brand needed to show that mental health isn’t just about big crises, but everyday feelings too. The brand needed people of all ages to see KHP not just as an emergency line, but as a place for all feelings, big or small.

“Even champions need champions,”— a reminder that even the strongest youth need support, and adults need to understand that strength can hide struggle.

To build real momentum for Even Champions Need Champions, they didn’t just speak to Canada’s sports community — they became part of it. A space of trust, reach, and influence far beyond what traditional channels could offer. KHP had to meet adults and youth where they already turn for comfort, connection, and information: their screens and in their routines.

With that, the campaign revealed itself in three phases.

Most notably, join the team. They set out to build awareness with striking prints of their athletes and the campaign launch film set to “We Are The Champions” by Queen, starring Canadian icons like Andre De Grasse, William Nylander, and Penny Oleksiak – alongside real youth athletes – to deliver a powerful truth: ‘even champions need champions’ and move both youth and adults to connect and act.

They had to understand the game, the mobilization across teams, coaches, organizations, and sport influencers of all ages from coast to coast to coast to make the number visible everywhere — beyond just on gear and in social feeds.

Finally, they had to play their part. A Snapchat filter lets youth build 6-8 rep circuits, embedding 686868 into the rhythms of their routines and bringing KHP’s help into the spaces they are already in and trust. Elite athlete-curated circuit workouts were also made available for download, training bodies and reminding minds that help is always 6 numbers away.

For youth, they focused on integrating the numbers ‘686868’ into their everyday routines — a quiet reminder that support is always just a text away. For adults, the goal was to reinforce the power of ‘686868’ as a lifeline for the young people they care about, reminding them that any young person might need KHP and cementing the belief that KHP is a cause worth supporting.

Across every activation, one truth remained constant: “even champions need champions.” Strategic planning’s unique contribution.

KHP had to take a different path. For the first time, KHP needed to reach two distinct audiences — youth and adults — with one campaign. They identified sport as a unifier, bridging generations and communities across the country. Numbers – essential to training and powerful as a symbol of support – gave KHP a natural way in.

To make conversations about mental health — so often avoided in the world of sport — feel natural
and accessible.

Instead of competing on media spend, KHP embraced a culturally relevant, earned-first strategy — one designed to spark attention beyond traditional placements to reach youth and adults.

The power of their strategic approach came from turning “Even Champions Need Champions” into a message that connects across touchpoints — with individuals, communities, and a cultural moment, regardless of age. While the world celebrated strength, grit, and gold, they chose to spotlight what often goes unseen: the quiet struggles behind game faces.

“Even Champions Need Champions” campaign completely outperformed expectations. ‘686868’ became more than just a number — it’s a lifeline that was embedded into daily life.

The campaign garnered a 791% higher engagement rate on social than the charity category benchmark. doubled the time spent on KHP’s website versus pre-launch, more than 100 athletes, sports teams, and organizations signed on to promote the 686868 circuit to youth, and reached over 49M earned impressions.

A story that resonated. An approach that broke through. “Even Champions Need Champions” found its place on the podium — and in the hearts of Canadians.

Credits

Agency: McCann Canada
Chief Creative Officer: Ian Mackenzie
Chief Creative Officer: Josh Stein
Creative Director: Athina Lalljee
Creative Director: Fernando Salvador
Copywriter: Megan Burrow
French Copywriter: Genevieve Mallette
Sr. Art Director: Olivia Hashka
Designer: Mitch Houlahan
Senior Digital Designer: Ana-Maria Triana
Chief Strategy Officer: AJ Jones
VP, Strategy: Josh Hansen
Senior Strategist: Alexandra Montgomery
VP, Group Account Director: Emily MacLaurin-King
Account Supervisor: Isabel Wilkins
SVP, Director of Production: Stef Fabich
Montreal Producer: Aloha Soimaud
Senior Producer: Jana Tuck

Production Company: Scouts honour
Director: Mark Zibert
Directors of Photography: Mark Zibert and Eric Kaskens
Executive Producers: Simon Dragland and Rita Popielak
2nd Unit DP: Stephen Hosier
Photographer: Thomas Dagg
Creative Research: Tricia Zaremba
Production Designer: David Dennis
Stylist: Kate Day

Casting: Jigsaw Casting

Editorial: Nimiopere
Editor: Steve Puhach
Assistant Editor: Laura Corredor
Producer: Hannah Stone
Executive Producer: Julie Axell

VFX/Online: Tantrum Studio
Compositors: Davide Di Santo, Dan Ciancone, Piers Larchet
VFX Creative Director: Dominik Bochenski
VFX Executive Producer: Victoria Holt

Audio: Grayson Music
Audio Director: Lowell Sostomi
Audio Engineer: Eric Hulme
Music Supervisor: Warren Bray
Audio Exec Producer: Kelly McCluskey
Sound Designers: Ben Swarbrick & Eric Hulme

French Audio: Audio Z
French Producer: Vanessa Sansfacon

Print: Craft
Project Manager: Luis Santos
Retoucher: Jean-Pierre Goulet
Production Designer: Antonino Camillo

Social Content: Craft
Producer - Leen Tangney
Videographers - Sean Marjoram and Andrew Vance
Post Producers: Kaia Kim & Jessica Luong
Offline Editors: Jesse Gayle, Nathan Baldassero
Online editor: Patrick Moore