A rapid increase in pre-natal screening for Down syndrome, along with near universal termination rates, means the population is declining. To the extent that it’s predicted to be extinct in Iceland by 2091.

Considered a medical achievement by some, this quiet revolution is having a devasting impact on the current Down syndrome community. Because as the population shrinks, so do the resources, health care, and social services they desperately need.

Down syndrome is a niche condition, which means most people don’t have a personal connection to the community – and aren’t aware of their growing funding gap. The Canadian Down Syndrome Society (CDSS) had the objective of raising awareness of this niche issue among the general public, by forcing a conversation that people outside the community weren’t having or engaged in – all with next to no budget.

The Down syndrome community’s shrinking population and shrinking funding means that, based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s own criteria, they would qualify to be on the endangered species list. So, the CDSS took the intentionally subversive act of applying – to make our cause unignorable.

Introducing Endangered Syndrome: a digital campaign that illustrates why, for the first time in history, a group of people applied to be on the endangered species list. Launching with a social video that featured real people with Down syndrome advocating for the education, healthcare and employment resources they aren’t getting. Our Down syndrome heroes wore animal inspired costumes – dramatizing the point that like endangered animals, there are endangered people in need of support and resources too.

The intrusiveness of the campaign ensured we’d garner earned media in North American media outlets, to spark a debate about a rarely talked about issue.

As a pro-bono organization with less than $5,000 in media, the CDSS had to ignite a conversation about a niche issue, by taking a provocative, creative approach to drive earned media.

To be as disruptive as possible making an issue that wasn’t relevant, news-worthy, we found a striking parallel to another, well-known cause: endangered species. We asked a question that couldn’t be ignored: If a group of people face the same risks as endangered animals, why aren’t they also receiving the same attention, help and support? This unexpected comparison would erupt a firestorm of attention from the media.

The goal was to raise awareness among the public, so we targeted news outlets knowing they would latch on to the campaign’s bold and unapologetic approach. The PR strategy featured advocates from the Down syndrome community as the face of the campaign.

The campaign launched on Canadian Down Syndrome Week, November 1-7, 2018, with a social video targeting people who were part of the Down syndrome community organically.

The video was then promoted on social to reach people without a connection or affinity to Down syndrome. The combination of paid and organic ignited engagement. Endangered Syndrome even became a trending topic on Twitter.

The video drove people within the Down syndrome community and outside of it to a campaign microsite. There, they were educated about the issue at hand, and then prompted to sign the campaign’s petition by sharing its video – to build advocacy seamlessly. Then people could donate to the CDSS after making a public pledge.

To deepen the conversation, all social content and news was moderated, so we could answer questions about the campaign in real time and redirect commenters back to the CDSS’s microsite.

The campaign achieved the following results:

Advocacy:

- 49,500 people signed the campaign’s petition via social sharing

Donations:

- Increased donations by 77%, compared to 2017.

Engagement and Conversation:

- The campaign garnered a 1470% increase in conversation on social media compared to the daily average Down syndrome discussions

- The campaign also achieved a 21% engagement rate on site, with an average engagement time on site of 1:40.

Awareness:

- The campaign earned half a billion media impressions with only $2,000 invested in media with coverage on major Canadian and International news outlets.