Alder Hey’s mission is to give children the best possible start in life. As a leading children’s hospital and centre for innovation, Alder Hey is well placed to provide solutions which tackle the health issues children and young people face. However, this is becoming harder. Children are presenting with adult diseases – including respiratory problems, obesity and mental health issues – and this is on the rise. The children most at risk are those affected by poverty. 

The goal of the advocacy campaign was to raise children’s health and inequality up the political agenda by raising awareness, positioning Alder Hey’s clinical and academic expertise as a solution that can transform children and young people’s lives. And partnering with like minded organisations to add Alder Hey’s voice to the collective call to action for children.

The Sparks pulls together a team of “hero” kids who are each affected by a different issue. Each child is given a story and Top Trumps style rankings that show how their ‘spark’ is affected by inequality. Ultimately, these kids cannot ‘win’ because they are being held back by a lack of support, funding and fairness. The campaign is attention grabbing in style and gives a face to key issues that are impacting children’s futures. It creates a clever way of highlighting the economic impact that not putting children first will inevitably have on the country.

The children are presented as part of a team full of hope and optimism, but the stats highlight the real story. There is a direct call to action – decision makers have the power to either ignite or put out their Spark. We created and designed a brand campaign including a logo, brand playbook, bespoke illustrations, social media assets, icons and a website which will sit on Alder Hey’s main site. We also created all of the collateral for the launch event for Alder Hey’s Put Children First advocacy coalition.