A groundbreaking new ad campaign for the Peter McVerry Trust homeless charity was unveiled at an agency breakfast hosted by cinema sales house Wide Eye Media in the Odeon multiplex near the 3 Arena. The 60-second ad, titled These Little Things, is an initiative involving production company Pull the Trigger, director Kieron J Walsh, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lenny Abrahamson, IAPI, Havas Dublin and Screen Scene – all working pro bono.
The Peter McVerry Trust project has an estimated value of over €350,000.
These Little Things makes history in that it is the first time ever in Ireland a Cannes Young Lions competition winner was made into a national ad campaign. The ad was scripted by Havas Dublin creative duo Laura Halpin and Ronan Jennings. It came about after the trust partnered with Wide Eye Media and IAPI. The ad is based on the the symbolic importance of house keys – representing the warmth, security and sense of belonging they give people.
The ad aims to highlight these emotions are often taken for granted if circumstance means that you don’t have your own home to go to, or, in fact, if you don’t have your own set of house keys. To bring the ad to life on the morning of the launch, each Wide Eye Media guest at the preview screening had the chance to have their house keys cut and donate €4 to the trust.
These Little Things will be shown in 72 cinemas nationwide and on foyer digital screens for six weeks from this Friday. RTE will air a three-minute roadblock ad break broadcast simultaneously just before 9pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ2 next Wednesday. Each ‘break takeover’ will profile the Irish film at the Cannes Young Lions competition. Founded in 1983 by Fr Peter McVerry, the charity works to tackle homelessness, drug misuse and social disadvantage.
The trust aims to ensure those most marginalised can play a full role in society. It specialises in supporting young, single people and has supported thousands of vulnerable individuals since 1983. Speaking at the launch, Fr McVerry warmly thanked everyone involved in the initiative and said he hoped the ad can help change negative perceptions surrounding the plight of homeless people. He insisted “there’s no them and us – there’s only us”.
Donations to Peter McVerry Trust can be made here.
