The Forzani Group Ltd.'s Sport Chek corporately-owned retail chain has launched a new public service announcement campaign for “The Power of Sport for Kids Program.”
Sport Chek introduced the program in October 2005. Its purpose is to raise awareness for Canadian kids in need and to demonstrate the positive impact that playing sports has on kids. The program recognizes organizations and schools that support at-risk and disadvantaged families, as well as youth (between the ages of five and 18) who would benefit from the infusion of sports in their lives.
“The Ball” campaign issues a national call-to-action for Canadian kids and youth who have endured poverty, abuse, mental health issues, family violence or neglect. The PSAs, created pro bono by Calgary-based Venture Communications, are designed for all media and include 30-second television spots, 30-second radio spots, outdoor billboards and bus shelter ads, as well as a series of three print pieces.
“We wanted to capture the sentiment that sport has the power to positively affect the lives of kids,” says Venture's Creative Director Peter Gardiner. “Sport has the power to give kids direction, a better path in life, and ultimately a step up to a better future. We chose simple, powerful images of balls to convey this message”.
The print campaign, photographed by Shanghoon of Westside Studios, consists of three close-ups of balls. The stitches on a baseball show direction, the seams of a basketball look like paths and the laces of a football look like a ladder. The TV commercial, produced by Untitled Films, captures the sentiment that the joy of playing sports and the power of sport begin with a ball.
“We're deeply grateful to Venture and its production partners for their support and for generously agreeing to produce the campaign pro bono,” said Hubert Wat, VP Corporate Marketing for The Forzani Group Ltd. “With production values comparable to the best commercials, the PSA not only tells a story that will break through the clutter, encouraging families to support community kids in need, but also all the PSAs will run in donated advertising time supplied by our media partners.”
