FCB Toronto and PFLAG Launch Transgender Awareness Campaign

By Patrick Coffee 

While the gay rights movement has clearly made major strides in the United States over the past several years, the transsexual community hasn’t received as much attention from the press.

For that reason, the new campaign marking a collaboration between FCB Toronto and advocacy group PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) Canada is significant. As FCB Toronto CCO Robin Heisey writes in the release:

“Transgender issues are often overlooked in today’s society and sometimes not fully recognized within the LGBT community.”

Advertisement

The campaign is both thorough and challenging. Here’s the first TV spot:

A second spot and other elements after the jump.


As noted above, the campaign hardly stops with these clips. The site itself features a series of personal stories told by transgender individuals and recorded in the same intimate, close-up style:

While most of these vignettes are two or more years old, the new ads will raise awareness of the larger effort via “donated media” leading up to the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (May 17). They will continue to run, along with a radio version of the “me inside” spots above, until the June 20-29 World Pride Toronto event.

The print aspect of the campaign so far includes these two images, running independently under the tagline “Not All Prisons Have Bars. Support Trans Awareness.” (No word on where they have appeared.)

FCB Toronto

The campaign is the latest product of the relationship between PFLAG and FCB, which began in 2011 with the development of “a mobile platform that could enable the sharing of LGBT stories.”

The target audience is both very specific and underserved; this is the first proper mention of the transgender community that we have witnessed in a major ad project.

Credits:

“The Woman Inside” TV

Creative Director: Robin Heisey/Jeff Hilts

Art Director: Jeff Hilts

Writer: Robin Heisey/Krystle Mullin

Account Director: Cynthia Roach

Agency Producer: Laurie Maxwell/Joan Digba

Production Company:  Steam Films

Executive Producer:  Krista Marshall

Line Producer:  Paul Matthews

Director: Stuart McIntyre

DOP:  Barry Parrell

Editing House:  Saints

Editor:  Ross Birchall

Transfer: Alter Ego

Music House: RMW Music Toronto

Track Director: Ted Rosnick

 

“The Man Inside” TV

Creative Director: Robin Heisey/Jeff Hilts

Art Director: Jeff Hilts

Writer: Robin Heisey/Krystle Mullin

Account Director: Cynthia Roach

Agency Producer: Laurie Maxwell/Joan Digba

Production Company:  Industry Films

Executive Producer: David Cranor

Line Producer:  Mark Hesselink

Director: Eric Yealland

DOP: Eric Yealland

Editing House: Radar Post

Editor: John Collucci

Transfer: Alter Ego

Colourtist:  Conor Fisher

Music House: RMW Music Toronto

Track Director:  Ted Rosnick

Sound Design:  Kyle Gudmundson

Engineer:  Art Mullin

 

“The Me Inside” Radio

Creative Director: Robin Heisey/Jeff Hilts

Writer: Krystle Mullin/Robin Heisey

Account Director: Cynthia Roach

Agency Producer: Joan Digba

Production Company: RMW Music Toronto

Track Director: Ted Rosnick

Engineer: Art Mullin

 

“Female Mask” Print

Creative Director: Robin Heisey/Jeff Hilts

Art Director: Jeff Hilts

Writer: Robin Heisey/Krystle Mullin

Account Director: Cynthia Roach

Agency Producer: Victor Carvalho

Studio Instil Imaging

Photographer:  Philip Rostron

 

“Male Mask” Print

Creative Director: Robin Heisey/Jeff Hilts

Art Director: Jeff Hilts

Writer: Robin Heisey/Krystle Mullin

Account Director: Cynthia Roach

Agency Producer: Victor Carvalho

Studio Instil Imaging

Photographer:  Philip Rostron

Advertisement