Daughter Creative changes the weather on Calgary's health

Stephanie Kochorek is Co-Founder and Creative Director of Daughter, in Calgary, Alberta  

Advertising Awards judge Stephanie Kochorek's fave project for 2020 is right on topic. Health is the headline of the year, and will likely be for a 2021, and 2022 ...

We'll let Stephanie take you behind the curtain on this 'no small feat' of technical work for Calgary Health Foundation amidst a raging pandemic:

"Sooner or later, and often unexpectedly, we will all need urgent medical help. When that happens, 'good enough' simply isn’t. When it comes to the health of our loved ones, nothing but the most progressive healthcare in the world is enough. And that takes funding."

The Calgary Health Foundation’s role is to raise that extra money to take our system from good to great, and when we won the chance to refresh their brand and raise their profile, we didn’t take it lightly.

"Little did we know we would be producing a TV campaign during a global pandemic."

After listening to the client, the research agency and hearing so many patient stories of both loss and hope, we set to work creating a multimedia idea that would inspire people’s hearts and open their wallets. We were lucky to be able to work with Reuben and the Dark (local artists with an international reach), whose pipes could stir even the most hardened heart. Reuben created a custom track - 'Sun Song' - to accompany the video and even performed it for a remote donor event.

We also knew we didn’t want to use actors, we wanted to use the real people who make possible the incredible work the Calgary Health Foundation does.

"Every single person in our ad is connected to the Foundation; there are board members, donors, past patients, doctors, and even the current CEO."

So, on a cold morning in August, we all donned our masks, sanitised our hands and set to work creating a TV spot that shows the impact that donors can have on the lives of patients, how when we come together for a common purpose, we can literally change the weather. Take a look at 'Sing Until the Sun Comes Out': 

How'd it do? Says Stephanie, "Early days yet - but the campaign is showing very strong results and over 85% of the visits to their website are from new visitors, showing that we’ve broadened the brand’s overall appeal."

More on Stephanie Kochorek and Daughter:

Stephanie spearheads Daughter, with a bold approach to branding for clients such as Bow Valley College, Rocky Mountain Soap, and Phil & Sebastian. She started her career in San Francisco creating multi-faceted campaigns for Audi, HBO, and PG&E and went on to work at Rethink, working on Canadian brands such as Lululemon, Science World and Coast Capital Savings. She has been recognized by award shows including the Crystal Radio Awards, Lürzer’s  Archive, The One Show and Applied Arts. She is also on the Board of Directors for Long View, one of North America’s largest privately-owned IT companies, as well as the Ssubi Foundation, a non-profit focused on educating children and empowering women in Uganda. Outside of work, she likes her Nintendo Switch, kickboxing and hanging with her two daughters (but not necessarily in that order).