Ad of the Day: Gut-wrenching home videos emphasize poignant suicide prevention point
Suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (Calm), alongside agency partner Adam & Eve/DDB, has released a gut-wrenching film that aims to make the emotional topic a priority.
‘The Last Photo’ was directed by Max Fisher and made its debut today on ITV’s This Morning show. In the feature, viewers see a sequence of genuine home videos of apparently happy people enjoying life – singing to infant children, messing about with friends and enjoying a day out at the beach. Toward the end of the spot, it is revealed that these are the last videos of people who later died by suicide.
“Behind every smile is a tragic story of loss and despair that touches family, friends and communities. We’d like to thank all the families that contributed to the campaign for their strength and courage in stepping forward and sharing these powerful stories,” said Simon Gunning, chief executive officer at Calm.
“There has long been a stereotype and stigma surrounding suicide that has held people back from opening up and talking about their feelings, and seeking help when it’s needed.”
To coincide with the initiative, a 6.5ft high installation was placed on London’s busy South Bank area featuring the people who appear in the film.
Adam & Eve/DDB previously launched Calm’s powerful Project 84 about male suicide in 2018.
“While Project 84 put suicide on the national agenda, ‘The Last Photo’ takes the issue a step further by actively empowering the nation to prevent suicides,” added Ant Nelson, executive creative director at Adam & Eve/DDB.
“This is the biggest campaign Calm has launched, and we’re immensely proud to have helped bring it to life.”
According to the charity, 125 lives are lost in the UK to suicide every week.
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