The signs of human trafficking often hide in plain sight. So our campaign hid them in plain sight too. We created a fake online hotel where the signs of sex trafficking are just under the glossy surface. At first glance everything is normal, but the closer you look, the more you’re exposed to the dark underbelly of Canada’s human trafficking industry.

The first step in travel is booking a hotel. So we created one. At first glance, the Hotel de Jeunesse looks like an innocuous boutique hotel website with nothing out of the ordinary; but spend a few minutes on the site and it becomes clear to users that it’s not a real hotel, but rather a disturbing look inside the dark world of human trafficking - where everything from the reviews to the amenities to the location finder contain a darker reality.

The campaign consisted of SEM, targeted banner ads on travel-related sites, Facebook and Instagram posts targeting people with travel interests, as well as sponsored posts where the signs of human trafficking are hiding within the patterns of hotel room fabrics. Everything drove to the Hotel de Jeunesse website, which was designed to disturb, educate, and turn travelers into our eyes and ears.

1 life saved. The campaign earned 5,288,300 unpaid impressions, and tips to Crime Stoppers increased year-over-year by 27%. But most importantly, a month after launch, the campaign directly generated a tip that led to the rescue of an underage victim. It was enough to thaw our cynical advertising hearts and renew our faith in the power of creativity.