Insight
When a child goes missing, a toy is left orphaned.
In Guatemala 1,200 children a year vanish - more than three each day. They are victims of illegal adoptions, sexual slavery, organ trafficking and labour exploitation.
These children just disappear, leaving behind their families, friends and even their toys.
Strategy
Kasperle, the toy store that knew the most about toys in Guatemala, was the only one who could help these toys to get back their children.
Kasperle presents - March of Toys. Thousands of toys took Guatemala’s main avenue and manifested under the motto ‘A missing child, an orphan toy’.
Execution
Each toy carried the banner of a missing child in the country. The march was led by their favourite toys held by the parents of the missing children and accompanied by social organisations, important opinion leaders, leading media, hundreds of families and people that spontaneously joined the marching movement.
The agency installed mobile platforms in the entire street with over 1,000 toys bearing a banner of each missing child in the country.
Kasperle also launched a website – jugueteshuerfanos.org - where people could find information and help the cause by sharing pictures across social media.
See more in the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=15&v=XhGDD7kEwcA.
Results
One day after the march, the campaign had gained full coverage in the media including newspapers’ front pages and prime time TV slots. TV and news coverage continued three days following the march.
- $1.5 million in free press
- 12 million internet views (in a country of 15 million)
- Each photo was shared more than 200 times
One week after the march, more than 50 toys were reunited with their children. But this is not enough so while children in Guatemala continue to disappear, Kasperle will continue to march.
Lic. Jorge Antonio Ortega, Presidential Press Secretary, said: “Now that we have planted the seed, we need to continue promoting this in order to raise awareness in society.”