Fairy/Make-a-Wish Foundation: Fairy Make-A-Wish

Fairy launches the 10th anniversary of its annual charity partnership with Make-A-Wish Foundation® this week, with the help of Hollywood actor Sean Bean.
The Grey, London campaign kicks off on Fairy's Facebook page with a teaser campaign leaving fans to guess who the star featured in the ad is; fans will then have the chance to preview the TVC before it hits the screens. The TVC then airs for the first time on November 4, 2013, during the Coronation Street advertising break. It will be supported by cinema advertising, in-store, specially branded, Fairy packs and a PR and social media campaign.

In addition to Facebook, content will also be hosted on Fairy's brand landing page on the P&G website Supersavvyme.com. This year, for the first time, the ad will include the option for viewers to donate directly to the charity by texting WISH to 70007, enabling consumers to donate £3 directly to Make-A-Wish Foundation UK.

The ad stars Bean playing an action hero, fulfilling the boyish fantasies of nine year old wannabe director, Harry Collet. Bean maintains his famous straight face and hard man persona, as he fights knights, escapes pirates on a miniature bike, tackles a T-Rex and even survives a pork pie explosion. Scenes direct from a child’s imagination and under the supervision of a strict and grinning Harry, who at one point even demands Bean “give it some welly”.

Although the latest advert will undoubtedly cause laughs in living rooms across the country, there is a serious element to it. Harry is representing children with life-threatening conditions who have their wishes granted by Make-A-Wish Foundation. “This is the 10th anniversary of Fairy’s partnership with Make-A-Wish Foundation and this year, more than ever, we really wanted to capture the magic of the work the charity undertakes,” said Will Herbertson, Fairy Brand Manager UK. “The children that Make-A-Wish grant wishes to spend so much of their time visiting doctors and hospitals and receiving treatment – doing things they have to do – and what Make-A-Wish provides is a day where they can finally do what they want. It has been a lot of fun bringing to life a nine year old boy’s wish to call the shots.”