A new campaign from the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation (CPBF) aims to alleviate some of the stress that weighs on families after a premature birth.
The parent-led charitable organization’s one-minute hero video collaboration with creative agency TBWA Canada introduces the Sweat Sheet, a garment that bridges the emotional and physical gap between mothers and newborns isolated in neonatal intensive care.
CPBF and TBWA worked with textile experts to design a T-shirt that extracts a mother’s scent and can be used to provide comfort for a newborn as an incubator crib sheet.
The concept stems from CPBF research that shows a mother’s smell can regulate a baby’s heart rate, reduce stress hormones, improve feeding behaviours and promote restful sleep.
The subject is deeply personal for CPBF executive director Fabiana Bacchini, who was a neonatal-intensive-care mom herself.
“I’ve lived the experience of leaving my baby behind in an incubator, feeling powerless. We know that a mother’s presence – her touch, her voice, her smell – has real, measurable effects on a preemie’s health,” Bacchini said in a news release. “With ‘the Sweat Sheet,’ we’re offering parents a small but powerful way to feel close and connected and to support their baby’s development when it matters most.”
The campaign rolled out across Canada beginning on Mother’s Day on Sunday. The 60-second video will run on CPBF and TBWA’s social platforms and be complemented by 15-second versions on display in contextual locations such as hospital waiting rooms, clinics and pharmacies. Video programmatic display ads will also be used to target young parents and moms-to-be.
15-second video in highly contextual places such as hospital waiting rooms, clinics, and pharmacies.
The Sweat Sheet will be available on a donation-only basis in the GTA to start but CPBF plans to expand its distribution nationally.
in addition to the 60-second video running on TBWA and CPBF’s social platforms, they’ll be running 15-second video in highly contextual places such as hospital waiting rooms, clinics, and pharmacies.
“The Sweat Sheet is a beautiful example of creativity with purpose,” said TBWA Canada CEO Eve Rémillard-Larose. “It’s a solution rooted in empathy, science and design – and a reminder that even the smallest details, like a mother’s scent, can have an enormous impact on a child’s life.”
CPBF, a parent-led charitable organization, offers peer support and conducts research aimed toward improving outcomes and experiences for babies and parents.
