Approximately 4,000 families with seriously ill children stay at one of Sweden’s five Ronald McDonald Houses each year. The houses provide the families with a homelike environment while the children have close access to the care that they need. Studies show that staying at a Ronald McDonald House, and having family nearby during treatment, has a positive impact on the children’s recovery.
In some cases, the children need specialist care in hospitals that are far away from their actual homes, which makes it difficult for the children to keep in touch with their friends. Connecting with friends could also have a positive impact on the children’s well-being. To facilitate this, NORD DDB and McDonald’s Sweden have joined forces with the British game design company Karta to build a new Ronald McDonald House for the Ronald McDonald House Charities on the online gaming platform Roblox. The digital house enables the children to keep in touch with their friends at home but also meet new ones as the game connects all the Ronald McDonald Houses in Sweden.
The children being cared for were encouraged to dream freely when they helped design the new house on Roblox, and it was only their own imagination that could pose limits to what the house would look like. Several of the children wanted a pool, meanwhile others wished they could go tobogganing. As a result, there are always four seasons going on at the same time inside the game. The digital house will only be available to children who have stayed in a Ronald McDonald House in Sweden, but the children can then extend invitations to their own friends.
The idea was developed by NORD DDB and the house on Roblox was created together with Karta. The campaign will be communicated via film, print, DOOH, radio and social media.
“I am so happy that we at Karta have been able to take part in this fantastic journey. It has been so much fun to experience the children’s creative thoughts and to realize their ideas and dreams. This project is very special to me as my second son was born with a heart defect and we spent a large part of his first time at the Ronald McDonald House in London. For me, the stay there was extremely important, I received great support from other parents and from the staff,” said Tony Barnes, COO and co-founder at Karta.
This film–directed Farzad Farzaneh of production company Giants & Toys–explores the making of the Ronald McDonald House on Roblox.
CreditsClient McDonald’s Sweden, Ronald McDonald House Charities in Sweden Agency NORD DDB Game Design Karta Production Company Giants & Toys Farzad Farzaneh, director. Media Agency OMD
Top Spot of the Week: Honda, RPA, Director Rupert Sanders Share “Unstoppable Dreams,” An Inspiring Reverse Poem
This inspiring Honda spot--directed by Rupert Sanders of MJZ for agency RPA--is the centerpiece of the “Unstoppable Dreams” campaign which brings to life the brand’s “Challenging Spirit” and the idea that resounding success is often the result of failures. The :60 follows the distinctive journeys of competitors with strong ties to Honda as they pursued their racing ambitions, including the late F1 racing legend Ayrton Senna and current FIA Formula 1® World Champion Max Verstappen.
The cinematic spot deploys an engaging reverse poem format, so what begins as a disheartening story about failure and giving up reverses course to showcase how personal setbacks can serve as the greatest teacher and catalyst to achieve big dreams.
The “Unstoppable Dreams” film features iconic Honda race machines including the 1992 Formula 1® winning McLaren Honda MP4/7A driven by Senna and the FIA Formula 1® championship 2021 Red Bull Racing Honda RB16B driven by Verstappen, as well as exciting forthcoming products including the Honda hybrid-electric Prelude Concept and the Honda eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft). The “Unstoppable Dreams” tells a story about how the starting point of achieving success is how one responds to failure.
“Unstoppable Dreams” made its TV debut earlier this week on NBC’s Sunday Night Football and will continue to air during NFL and college football games, and the opening night of the 2024-25 NBA season. The campaign also will be featured on the big screen this fall, at theaters across America during major movie premiere releases, and on Netflix’s ad-supported plan in the U.S., for the highly anticipated series Senna.
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