Predators have a new way in – through a child’s cell phone. Most kids have a phone by age 12, creating the opportunity for predators to make contact under the cover of social media. The Canadian Centre for Child Protection wanted to create a PSA that spoke directly to parents about the role of unregulated online platforms in child exploitation, with cell phones being predators’ new way in. To contextualize the massive scale of this problem, we turned to the Trojan Horse, a story so famous it has become shorthand for concealing true intentions. In our spot The Horse, we leveraged that instant connection to drive home the magnitude of what we’re facing online.

We slowly glide down a hallway in a family home while an omniscient narrator recounts the myth of the Trojan Horse. There’s a lingering sense of unease, as the audio ramps up in tension but the visuals stay steady and constant. Suspense is built as the viewer searches for danger in a nighttime home where nothing is happening. And then a phone buzzes on a child’s nightstand, lighting up the room–because the danger isn’t in the shadows of the home. Today’s modern Trojan Horse is concealed in the brightness of our screens.

We told our story with the pacing and moves of the camera, something that was really important not to rush - the pacing adds suspense and emotion. With a location that didn’t feel like a haunted house but that had an eerie quality to it. The moody, nighttime lighting also helped to deliver the unsettling feeling as well.

- The campaign has resulted in over 380k visits to the web page protectchildren.ca/thehorse (with an average time on page of 2 mins 7 secs)

- It was shared online by 18 Canadian law enforcement agencies

- Total reach of press related to the campaign: 14 Million Impressions

- A variety of partners globally across Sweden, UK, Finland, Germany, US, Austria promoted the PSA

- Media was expanded upon its success to include a Cinema media buy in March 2024