The brief: Muehlehalde in Zurich is the Home for the Blind. The task was to collect desperately needed donations.

The solution: Lots of money is donated for animals in Switzerland, especially for exotic ones. There are however, people closer to home who desperately need financial support too. For this reason, the real residents from the Home for the Blind in Zurich acted like pandas, tigers, eagles and other animals in a TV commercial in order to generate donations for their home.

The preparatory phase for filming the spot was very intense. Under the professional guidance of a trainer, the residents of the Home for the Blind practised for their roles twice a week for two months. One shouldn’t forget that some of the people are not only blind, but also very old. In addition, everything was done that none of them felt they must appear in a role that didn’t suit them. Each participant was free to choose and develop her or his favourite animal character.

The actual filming was done in two days. Of course, the blind people also had professional support during these two days to provide for their safety and well-being at all times.

The amount of donations rose by 64.7%, at a time when the overall volume of charitable donations in Switzerland has been in decline due to the economic crisis.