In this series of radio ads we subverted the predictable style of upbeat ‘back-to-school’ advertising to deliver an important message about bullying.

At first, they appeared to be regular back-to-school ads for clothing, electronics and office supply retailers promoting their latest deals, but with something seemingly off. Whenever “Back to School” was said, the word “School” was replaced with a painful schoolyard insult like “loser,” “fatty” or “retard.”  

The ads finished with a reminder from the Canadian Safe School Network that “Back to school doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone.” All to start an important conversation with parents and their kids in hopes of stopping bullying before it starts.