Here's the One Word You Should Never Say to Parents Who Have Kids With Down Syndrome

Warning: There's a bad word in FCB Canada's new campaign for the nonprofit Canadian Down Syndrome Society. It's not shit or fuck, though you'll hear young people with Down syndrome say both of those words, repeatedly and with great gusto, in the 90-second video below. Even so, despite the riotous and good-natured profanity, the only truly bad word in the spot is sorry. That's because it's something you should never say to parents who've just welcomed a baby with Down syndrome into the world. [kickout id="1"] Launching today with the tagline "Anything But Sorry," the work follows last year's Cannes Lion-winning "Down Syndrome Answers," which featured folks with the developmental disorder fielding commonly asked questions about it. Those spots leveraged Google AdWords and were designed to pop up in search queries. The same mechanism helps drive this year's initiative. Now, when folks Google questions like "What do you say to parents who just had a baby with Down syndrome?" the top result will point them to elements of "Anything But Sorry." Paid social and PR outreach will also help the push gain traction. "In talking to parents of children with Down syndrome, a recurring and devastating theme kept emerging," Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, co-chief creative officer at FCB Canada, tells AdFreak. "[We heard] stories of how traumatizing the reaction towards the birth of their child was. Whether they had chosen to have the baby or it was a surprise, the reactions from family, friends and even healthcare providers was the same—a heartfelt 'sorry.' For many, this feeling of mourning, loss and sadness is their most prominent birth memory." Crimi-Lamanna and her team were rocked by this revelation. "As a parent, I was deeply saddened," she says. "Can you imagine mourning the birth of your child? Our strategy was to change the behavior around this very specific moment in time by showing people that when it comes to welcoming a new baby with Down syndrome, the only bad word they can say is sorry." A second video provides additional insight and context, with parents who share their stories: [kickout id="2"] "This year, approximately 9,363 babies in North America will be born with the developmental disorder," says Jeff Hilts, FCB Toronto's other co-CCO. "This campaign gives everyone a chance to give them a proper welcome." Users can visit AnythingButSorry.com and choose a cheeky e-card to share on their social networks. "Anything But Sorry" printed congratulations cards are also available, with proceeds benefiting the CDSS. Some of the cast from last year's campaign have returned, as does the warm, welcoming vibe designed to expose viewers to a segment of the population they might not know that much about. Throughout, the subjects' humor and sense of fun shine through. After all, saying "Holy shit! You just had a baby!" or even "Congratu-fucking-lations!" makes more sense than telling the parents of a Down syndrome child how sorry you are that their baby arrived. "The positive byproduct of 'The 'S' Word' video is that we get to see Down syndrome people as the diverse, rich humans that they are," Crimi-Lamanna says. "They swear, they get angry, they laugh just like us. They're not sorry, and we shouldn't be, either." CREDITS Campaign Title: Anything But Sorry Client: Canadian Down Syndrome Society Canadian Down Syndrome Society Credits Chair, Board of Directors: Laura LaChance Vice-Chair, Board of Directors: Ed Casagrande Member, Board of Directors: Ben Tarr Member, Board of Directors: Stewart Moffatt National Executive Director: Kirk Crowther Communications Manager: Kaitlyn Pecson Resource Coordinator: Carlee Reardon Creative Agency: FCB Canada Creative Chief Creative Officer: Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, Jeff Hilts Sr. Copywriter: Marty Hoefkes Sr. Art Director: Michael Morelli Art Director: Cody Sabatine, Gira Moin Copywriter: Joseph Vernuccio Illustrators: Sasha Ortega, Elma Karabegovic, Sarah Cleaver, Amanda Disanto, Sally Fung Account Management Chief Executive Officer: Tyler Turnbull VP, Managing Director: Tracy Little, Ricky Jacobs Group Account Director: Ravi Singh Account Executive: Olivia Selbie Director of Integrated Production: Stef Fabich Broadcast Producer: Christine Michalejko Chief Strategy Officer: Shelley Brown Sr Strategic Planner: Eryn LeMesurier Strategist: Shelagh Hartford UX Lead: Kristy Pleckaitis Project Management Project Manager: Ashley Whitaker Technology & Development Director of Technology: Madara Ranawake Front End Developer: Florian Adu-Gyamfi QA Manager: Lina Vaisman Jr. QA Analyst: Peter Panchine Jr. QA Analyst: Labdhi Deliwala Print Production Print Producer: Bruce Ellis Studio Manager: Shairoz Manek Senior Production Mac Artist: Billy Mavrakakis Production Mac Artist: Rittie Prak Proofreader: Albert Macchiusi Production Credits Director: Elias Campbell Director & DOP: Scott Drucker DOP: Stephen Mcloughlin Casting: Jigsaw Casting CDC: Shasta Lutz Editing House: Rooster Post Production Executive Producer: Melissa Kahn Editor: Chris Parkins Assistant Editor: Joey Whitelaw Editing House: Radar Editor: Scott Drucker Editor: Joële Walinga Transfer Facility: The Vanity Colourist: Andrew Exworth Online Facility: Fort York Flame Artist: Ernie Mordak Assistant Flame Artist: Melissa Vasiliev Producer: Armen Bunag Music House: Grayson Matthews Music Producer: Mark Domitric Music Supervisor: Igor Correia Sound Engineer: Brian Bernard Sound Designer: Ben Swarbrick & Laura Titchner Head of Sales: Kelly Mcclusky Producer: Sharon Yokoyama Project Coordinator: Nicholas Shaw Printer: C.J. Graphics Inc., Parry Nitchos PR: Shannon Stephaniuk, Glossy

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Here's the One Word You Should Never Say to Parents Who Have Kids With Down Syndrome

FCB's follow-up to last year's award-winning campaign

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David Gianatasio