Barnardo’s - Mollusc

Barnardo’s, the UK’s largest and oldest children’s charity, was undergoing a major rebrand - its first in over a decade. Once a household name, the charity was experiencing dwindling awareness and engagement, particularly among younger generations.

At the same time, the cost-of-living crisis was pushing more children and families into poverty. With 1 in 4 children in the UK now affected, the need for Barnardo’s support had never been greater. But the disconnect between public perception and present-day relevance was stark. The charity needed to reassert its voice in the national conversation and do so in a way that was emotionally resonant, culturally aware, and urgently human.

Rather than simply inform people of the crisis, we wanted to make them feel it. Our campaign needed to show not just tell the lived experiences of children growing up in poverty, and the emotional toll it takes. To do this with integrity, we worked closely with Barnardo’s frontline workers and Cost of Living Fund team to ensure we were reflecting the real, often unseen struggles of the families they support.

We knew our audience was already fatigued by news of crisis after crisis. So our creative had to cut through to stop people in their tracks, spark empathy, and inspire action.

We created “Mollusc” - a short film that captures the emotional reality of a child isolating herself from the world in response to her circumstances. The metaphor? A giant red-pink snail shell, which she wears on her back to disconnect from the chaos and shame around her.

Told through the eyes of a ten-year-old girl, the film uses minimal dialogue and strong visual storytelling to express her withdrawal from friendships, classroom interaction, and even family life. The shell represents both a physical burden and an emotional defence mechanism, a response to a world that feels too big, too harsh, and too indifferent.

But through the work of Barnardo’s - from community centres to dedicated support workers - the girl begins to reconnect. The shell, once protective, becomes unnecessary. Slowly, her world opens back up.

The film became the centrepiece of Barnardo’s relaunch and struck a deep chord with audiences across the UK.