BC Children’s Hospital Foundation is tugging at moms’ heartstrings as it activates ahead of Mother’s Day for the first time.

This is the second iteration of “Small is Mighty,” a brand platform the hospital’s fundraising arm aired for the first time in a key donor period last fall. The new video focuses on the moments of calm, comfort and reassurance that only a mother can provide.

With the work, the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation is focusing on the small things that mothers do for their kids when they are sick, acknowledging that while the scenarios are unique to the hospital where kids are receiving treatment, these innate, everyday acts of love are universally recognizable.

“When your child is sick, you often feel powerless as a parent,” notes Surina Sproul, VP of marketing and communications. “This is a reminder that, through the eyes of a child, those little acts of comfort are mighty.”

And it’s not just through their eyes: the narration is also done by a child in order to further drive home the emotional connection, Sproul notes.

Feedback from the first campaign, carried over to this one, was a stakeholder appreciation that children were not portrayed as victims. Also, in a time of high inflation, the target donor demo appreciated the “small is mighty” concept and double entendre, in that even a small donation can have outsized impact.

The new brand platform, Sproul explains, is designed to be leveraged across every donor engagement opportunity throughout the year. Sproul says the flexibility of the platform lets it create slightly different messages or hooks into the cause, which can be tailored to different audiences.

In addition to television and digital, the campaign is also supported through direct mail, email and social media. There are still OOH assets in market from the last campaign, Sproul notes, thanks to donated space from Pattison. Creative was led by 123w, with OMD Canada on media.

The buy is definitely smaller than the last effort, Sproul notes, and that the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation prioritized TV and digital this time around, the best performing platforms from last fall.