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    TRUE Hockey, dentsu and Olympics champ Kelly Pannek Team To Protect Street Hockey For Kids

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    As navigation apps increasingly route drivers through residential neighborhoods and outdoor play declines, TRUE Hockey, a leading manufacturer of high-performance hockey equipment, is unveiling a new prototype designed to reclaim neighborhood streets for play.

    Once a hub for children’s sports, residential streets have become high-traffic shortcuts due to “rat-running”—drivers bypassing main roads via navigation apps. This has made spontaneous outdoor play more difficult for children: a 2025 U.S. poll found that 1 in 10 young children play outside only once a week or less, and 40% of parents report safety concerns.

    At the heart of the campaign is the Game On Ball, a first-of-its-kind technology concept designed to illustrate how neighborhoods can be protected from commuter through-traffic. While not intended for commercial sale, this prototype functions by signaling to routing algorithms that a street is in use, prompting navigation apps to redirect drivers back to main arteries.

    U.S. Olympic gold medalist and Minnesota Frost forward Kelly Pannek is supporting the initiative. “Olympic gold started for me on the street in front of my house,” said Pannek. “Those pickup games sparked my love for hockey and taught me confidence, creativity and joy. You never know where play will lead you, and every kid deserves the chance to discover their passion safely, right outside their door. Especially when such a simple behavior change could make all the difference.”

    The prototype is part of a broader campaign encouraging drivers to say “No thanks” when prompted by navigation apps offering slightly faster routes through residential areas.

    TRUE Hockey in partnership with dentsu invite Americans to visit TrueGameOn.com to learn more and participate in a national poll calling on navigation apps to update their algorithms to give drivers the option to avoid routes that rely on residential “rat-running,” similar to how drivers can choose to avoid toll roads.

    While the prototype highlights street hockey, the message applies to all neighborhood play, from basketball and soccer to playing catch in the driveway. Through the website, residents can opt to “protect their streets” by sharing the street they want to help protect in their communities.

    Pannek appears in this film which outlines the initiative.

    Credits

    Client TRUE Hockey Agency dentsu Stephen Kelly, CEO dentsu Canada; Ari Elkouby, chief creative officer; Pascal Rotteveel, global executive creative director, Dentsu Labs; Andrea Isbester, Kevin McHugh, chief strategy officers; Ryan Egan, executive creative director; Logan Cipparone, design director; Karl Ouellette, associate creative director; Patrice Daigneault, writer; Rob Lazar, director, broadcast & content; Cynthia Cyr, exec producer; Kris Roberts, editor; Daniel Vettorazi, creative technologist. Production Company Tag, J3P. Industrial Design Alessandro Pennese. Fabrication Makers, Agile Manufacturing. Sound Pirate Audio

    Media Type:Film: Short
    Video Tags:Dentsu



    The Best Work You May Never See: 72andSunny Toronto, Director Jackson Tisi Team On PSAs For Victim Services Toronto

    Wednesday, April 1, 2026

    Victim Services Toronto (VST) has partnered with 72andSunny Toronto to expand its proven community-based safety initiative, Ask for Angela, through new partnerships and a multi-channel awareness campaign designed to meet people where they are and connect them to support when they need it most. As part of this expansion, VST is introducing the out-of-home campaign alongside a new series of PSA films, working together to both increase awareness of the realities victims face and provide clear, accessible pathways to help across the city. “In Toronto, police already record 17,000 to 19,000 intimate partner violence occurrences in the average year, with recent data showing a double‑digit year‑over‑year increase in reports despite chronic underreporting,” shared Victim Services Toronto CEO Carly Kalish. “There’s clearly an urgent need for Ask for Angela’s increased presence across Toronto, while also presenting a long-term, infrastructure-building opportunity to make pathways to help more consistently available, convenient, and approachable.” To expand local pathways to safety and professional support, VST first introduced Ask for Angela in the GTA in fall 2023. The trauma-informed safety initiative--which originated in the U.K. in 2016 and celebrates its 10-year global anniversary this year--allows people experiencing gender-based violence or exploitation to discreetly signal for immediate support at partnering locations using the code phrase: “Is Angela here?” The newly launched OOH campaign discreetly shares VST’s resources, disguising the Ask for Angela messaging into ads for makeup, skincare, and menstrual products. Through its Loblaw Companies Limited partnership, the community-based program has already effectively embedded an... Read More

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