2026 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

1 in 10 babies are born prematurely in Canada. Most are separated from their mothers immediately and taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), leaving parents feeling helpless and disconnected.

The Canadian Premature Babies Foundation is committed to supporting and advocating for parents of babies born too early. They were looking for a way to support preemie parents in this vulnerable moment of separation and help strengthen the bond between mom and newborn.

In fighting to save premature babies' lives, hospitals separate them from the most powerful source of comfort – their mothers.

Interviews with parents and healthcare professionals revealed that while separation is a necessity for NICU care, it results in a traumatic experience for the parents and adds stress to the baby already fighting for its life.

In particular, mom’s scent is a powerful source of comfort that’s missing while separated: multiple studies show that exposure to maternal scent helps soothe preterm babies.

“Sweat Sheet” – a shirt made of specialty fabric that absorbs mom’s odor

Designed in collaboration with NICU nurses, they developed the Sweat Sheet – a shirt made of specialty fabric that absorbs mom’s odor. Mom wears the shirt, infusing it with her scent, and then takes it off, seamlessly transforming it into a NICU crib sheet.

The “Sweat Sheet” harnesses the power of maternal scent to calm premature babies and strengthen the bond between mom and baby.

The “Sweat Sheet” is designed to connect mom and baby through scent, even when mom can’t physically be there.

It is made of specialty fabric designed to absorb mom’s odor. Mom wears the shirt, infusing it with her scent, and then takes it off, seamlessly transforming it into a NICU crib sheet.

The design was constantly being refined to meet stringent safety standards, and to make sure that every update was made with the premature baby in mind.

With a limited media budget, the launch of the “Sweat Sheet” was shared primarily through CPBF’s organic social media channels as well as targeted, donated digital media. All assets drove people to the CPBF site, where they could donate one to a preemie parent in need. We also sent Sweat Sheets to micro-influencers who helped spread the word to their core audience.

The strategy team tapped into CPBF’s network of parents of premature babies, NICU nurses, doctors, and researchers, conducting interviews to hear about their personal experiences. It was through these conversations that they learned about the traumatic impact of separating moms and babies in the early days (or even months!) of life. The medical professionals were also able to point us to further research on the topic, which is how the agency discovered that mom’s scent is a key connector and source of comfort for preterm babies.

This product innovation immediately connected with the preemie community – addressing a specific, deeply human need.

The campaign reached 149% more people in the community than any of CPBF’s other social posts, with a 100% increase in engagement, all with zero paid media support. There was also a 72% increase in visits to the site year-over-year, which ultimately resulted in a 125% increase in donations year-over-year. And most importantly, CPBF is in talks with hospitals to get the “Sweat Sheet” into NICUs across Canada so that every mom can comfort her baby, even when she can’t be there.

Credits

TBWA

Adam Reeves, Chief Creative Officer
Rica Eckersley, Executive Creative Director
Katie Lea, Art Director
Sarah Deziel, Associate Creative Director/Copywriter
Rick Kang, Senior Copywriter
Allison Canagasaby, VP, Strategy
Angelo S. Fernandez, Account Executive
Kathy Shapka, VP, Media Director
Julia Mathias, Director of Digital Media
Megan O'Malley, Community Manager

Omnicom Productions
Terry Kavanagh, Senior Producer
Marina Jalandoni, Senior Integrated Producer


Orange Partners
The Orange Lounge
Chappel Digital
Minhee Sim, Textile Designer, Textile Fabricator