The kids are not alright: Creature London launches first ad campaign for Child Poverty Action Group

Some kids turn up to school with empty lunchboxes. This campaign, the first from Child Poverty Action Group, imagines what that might be like.

Set to the soundtrack of Food glorious food from the musical Oliver, the ad by Creature London puts on display the abundance that increasing numbers of UK children will never get to enjoy.

Creature’s aim is to raise awareness and to put pressure on the UK’s leaders to implement policies that could change millions of children’s lives. More than 1 in 4 children in the UK grow up in poverty.

Ben Middleton, CCO at Creature London, said: “Hearing stories of children eating erasers because they are so hungry is something that I won’t forget anytime soon, but it has been a privilege to spend time in the imagination of children. It is a potent tool that should be reserved only for the magical, marvellous, and downright bizarre, not the mundane.”

Alison Garnham, CEO of Child Poverty Action Group, said: “This campaign highlights some of the devastating effects of poverty and gives us the opportunity to highlight the solutions. We want to raise the bar for what is acceptable for children across the UK. At Child Poverty Action Group, we believe it’s time to give children living in poverty a voice and hold those in power accountable.”

It’s a rare case of a charity ad that makes a difficult point while also being watchable. Let’s hope it makes a difference.

MAA creative scale: 7