Campaign for Creativity

Challenge

AN URGENT CREATIVITY GAP

Creativity is an essential part of life, a key predictor of success, and makes us resilient.

In collaboration with the Ad Council Research Institute, we investigated how parents viewed creativity in their children’s development. Our findings were striking: while 90% of parents recognized the value of creativity, many struggled to integrate it into their children’s daily lives. Over 60% were unsure if their children engaged in enough creative activities, and many lacked the confidence to foster it themselves–56% of adults say they aren’t creative anymore. If we don’t have faith in our own creativity, we can’t pass it down to the next generation.

Crayola’s legacy brand heritage positioned them to be champions of creativity and highlight the importance of creativity as a life skill, showcasing the benefits creativity plays throughout our lives.

For Crayola, these insights revealed a pressing need for practical solutions to help give parents the confidence to nurture creativity in their children’s daily lives.

Solution

RECONNECTING WITH CREATIVITY

To show parents the impact creativity can have on their children's lives, we set out to reconnect them to their own childhoods. We sought to return adults' long-lost art from the Crayola archives — one of the largest collections of children's art that had started 40 years ago, with the artwork originally showcased in museums and galleries.

We launched our new advocacy platform, The Campaign for Creativity, with #StayCreative, a captivating short film featuring the emotional return of three of the cherished pieces of artwork to its now grown creators.

Next, we launched a nationwide search for the rest of the artists by tapping into an obsession: internet sleuthing. We flooded social with the art, first names, year, and place the art was made; we filled billboards — including Times Square — with missing art messages; and we enlisted the help of local news anchors. The effort culminated in a New York gallery show.

As the artists were reunited, each experienced an emotional moment, rediscovering not only their art but also the vital role creativity plays in our lives.

Result 

IGNITING A CULTURAL SHIFT

The "Returning Creativity" campaign delivered positive results across multiple platforms, achieving over 4M total PR and TV impressions. On YouTube, the campaign garnered 136k+ hours of watch time, and secured 1,148 PR, media, and TV placements.

The TikTok influencer campaign also generated 4.1 million impressions, 102k+ engagements, and $186,000 in earned media value, further amplifying the campaign’s reach and impact. Building on these successes, the Campaign for Creativity advocacy platform continues to be an ongoing resource for parents to integrate more creative moments into their children’s lives, ensuring the campaign’s impact continues to grow and evolve.