Children Should Enjoy Like Children - Elifelt | Clapboard Ad Archive

Children Should Enjoy Like Children is a 2019 public interest campaign from Elifelt crafted by McCann Israel that confronts the uncomfortable reality faced by children exposed to adult content and harsh life circumstances through a singular digital video asset that employs what Clapboard’s taxonomy identifies as FORMAT#3—Symbolize the Problem, using metaphor and analogy rather than explicit depiction to provoke empathy and reflection. Anchored around the Hanukkah season, the campaign juxtaposes the fleeting attention span of adult viewers—who reportedly cannot watch the video for more than a minute without skipping—with the prolonged exposure of vulnerable children who endure such distressing realities daily, thereby creating a powerful symbolic experience that compels the audience to viscerally understand the emotional toll on these children. Rather than relying on celebrity endorsements, direct testimonials, or conventional narrative arcs, McCann’s approach leverages discomfort as a creative device to highlight the urgent need for society to protect childhood innocence and ensure that children’s experiences are filled with lightheartedness and joy, as the campaign’s title insists. The digital medium serves not merely as a distribution channel but as a strategic tool to maximize reach and engagement across modern platforms, ensuring the message resonates widely during a period culturally associated with light and celebration. By transforming the viewing experience into an allegory of the children’s plight, the campaign transcends traditional public service messaging and instead invites deep emotional engagement and collective responsibility toward safeguarding children’s emotional wellbeing. Clapboard rates this campaign 60/100 in its global creative archive. Children Should Enjoy Like Children matters because it demonstrates how public interest campaigns can harness symbolic discomfort to forge empathetic connections and elevate social consciousness without resorting to explicit representation or conventional storytelling frameworks.