Carers UK Campaign Redefines What It Means to Care

Created by Mullen Lowe, the campaign aims to reduce by half, the time it takes for people to identify themselves as ‘an unpaid carer’ and access vital support earlier

By Creative Salon

02 September 2024

MullenLowe and Carers UK have joined forces to redefine how unpaid care is perceived and encourage individuals to identify as carers earlier.

'This Counts As Care' addresses a critical issue: many people who care for family, friends, or neighbours don’t see themselves as carers, viewing their actions as a natural part of their relationships. This mindset often delays access to essential support services, which the campaign aims to change by emphasizing that all forms of care, regardless of the relationship, truly count.

The agency won the commission after it was named the winner of The Creative Shootout 2024 at BAFTA London in January. That win saw a creative team from the agency work with Creative Shootout Charity of the Year 2024, Carers UK, on developing the campaign.

The creative highlights the often-unseen shift in relationships where one person becomes an unpaid carer. Many don't identify as carers because they still see themselves as a loved one or friend – something 71 per cent of carers took time to recognise. The creative includes a retro photo of a father bathing their infant child cutting to a grown-up daughter now needing to bathe her older father.

Nicky Bullard, MullenLowe group CCO comments, “Over the last seven months we’ve worked incredibly closely with Carers UK, and it’s been a privilege for the team to better understand the incredible work they do, and the communications challenge they face. This creative is driven by such strong real-world insight that we think it will really breakthrough to the millions of carers out there who simply don’t recognise themselves as a carer.”

The campaign features striking photography by Megan K Eagles and will be showcased across digital Out of Home screens nationwide, provided by Clear Channel. It includes a TV commercial filmed by Eleanor Films and directed by Chris Chuky for SKY Media, complemented by digital ads on The Guardian and engaging audio content across the Acast podcasting network.

Helen Walker, CEO at Carers UK adds: “Being The Creative Shootout’s Charity of the Year and working with an agency like MullenLowe truly is a gamechanger for us. The creative that the MullenLowe team has developed is a long term platform for us and will make a huge difference to the way unpaid carers see themselves, how society views caring, and the support we can provide.”

A PR campaign supported by news generation agency 72Point and broadcast PR agency Markettiers will see Walker undertake broadcast interviews, generating significant earned coverage.