Child Poverty Action Group's food for thought

Child Poverty Action Group, the leading charity campaigning for an end to child poverty in the UK, has launched its first TV campaign, one that aims to raise awareness about rising child poverty levels in the UK.

Created by Creature London and directed by Adam Berg through SMUGGLER, the 75-second campaign highlights the impact poverty has on children and looks to place pressure on the UK’s leaders to implement policies that could change millions of children's lives.

Called Imagine, the spot is inspired by the shocking fact that children have been turning up to school with empty lunchboxes and then going through the pantomime of eating to avoid feelings of social embarrassment and isolation. The film takes us on a fantastical journey through a school lunch hall but, instead of lunchboxes with simple sandwiches and apples, we see mountains of fruit, endless popcorn and doughnuts appearing like magic, all set to the iconic song Food, Glorious Food. However, as our protagonist sits down to his own lunch, instead of another incredible food surprise, we see him pretending to eat a banana as the scene changes, and he is now sitting alone.

"Hearing stories of children eating erasers because they are so hungry is something that I won’t forget anytime soon," said Ben Middleton, Chief Creative Officer at Creature London. "But it has been a privilege to spend time in the imagination of children. It is a potent tool that should be reserved only for the magical, marvellous, and downright bizarre, not the mundane."

“This campaign brings a child's imagination to life in all its wonder and then confronts our audience with the shocking realities 1 in 4 children face," added Meg Egan, Senior Creative at Creature. "It has to be one of the most brilliant and also most brutal campaigns that I have ever worked on here at Creature, and we are incredibly proud of it."