The One Show
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Category
Craft / Use of Technology
Annual ID
OS23_EX082M
About the Work
CHALLENGE:
As time goes on, our knowledge of the past fades from memory. Throughout our history, we’ve asked soldiers to bravely fight wars abroad, but they’re losing the fight for relevance at home. Today, a quarter of Canadians under 45 don’t see the importance of Remembrance Week. As we’ve lost soldiers to age, service and suicide, their acts of bravery are being lost along with them. We needed to help keep their memories alive and find a new way to make their acts of service and sacrifice relevant to a new generation of Canadians.
INSPIRATION:
Even as time marches forward, there’s one place where veterans’ memories live on: in the letters they wrote from the front lines. However, these letters are often sealed away or kept behind closed doors, and their words largely go unread. We wanted to find a way to put these overlooked memories on display by turning them into something new and unignorable.
IDEA:
For the first time, we unearthed real soldier’s letters from the archives and had them read by an image-generating platform, turning each letter’s words into a unique work of art. Using artificial intelligence, we generated a series of paintings powered by the vivid descriptions of the actual sights, sounds and emotions soldiers experienced first-hand during World War 1, World War 2, Korea and Afghanistan. Each piece paints a fuller picture of each soldier’s service and sacrifice, helping preserve their memories for generations to come.
GROWTH:
To date, the project has received earned media coverage on broadcast news as well as media outlets across North America and Europe. In addition, the campaign quickly received donated media placements across Canada, including a national newspaper print placement and out-of-home boards throughout Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary.
2023 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit
Credits
Agency
Wunderman Thompson Canada / Toronto
Client / Brand
True Patriot Love Foundation / Toronto
Music / Sound Production Company
Pirate Audio / Toronto
Media Distribution Company
GroupM / Toronto
Chief Creative Officer
Ari Elkouby
Nick Booth
Composer
Vanya Drakul
Sara Elsadik
Editor
Eric Thompson
Account Director
Mike Davidson
Design Director
Mike Butler
Global Chief Creative Officer
Bas Korsten
Daniel Bonner
Planner
Luke Johns
Senior Integrated Producer
Iris Savage
Associate Creative Officer
Jose Rivas
Kyle Carpenter
EVP, Managing Director
Scott Miskie
Executive Integrated Producer
Jennifer Cotton
North American Chief Creative Officer
Tom Murphy
Senior Director, Brand Strategy & Communications
Sarah May Barker
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