Following the iconic creative work taking viewers on a soaring joyride through California during last year’s Super Bowl pre-game show, The Shipyard announces the debut of its latest thrilling adventure for Visit California

Entitled ‘Childhood Rules,’ the new integrated work shows how California is a place that thrills kids and brings out the kid in adults, too. With theme parks aplenty, plus state and national parks, beaches, zoos, aquariums, museums, and even family-friendly wineries, California is THE perfect family destination, with plenty for the kids to do, but also a place where parents can have fun on vacation as well. 

“Eighty-five percent of parents are very likely to travel with their children in the next 12 months, with travel intent this year higher than in 2019, and this new campaign which is a pure celebration of joy for both kids and parents, shows them just what makes California such a unique family destination,” says David Grzelak, chief strategy officer of The Shipyard.

Shot by director Ben Quinn, the campaign shows kids living out their collective childhood dreams with joyful abandon, and seemingly unsupervised. The turn of the spot reveals that their parents were out having just as much fun. Along with the :30 second spot are a series of :06s that play off the rules of childhood like, 'bedtime is merely a suggestion,' and depicts moms, dads and kids running enjoying some after-dark attractions. And 'parents make the best napkins,' showing a charming, but sticky situation.

Today, adults are engaging in activities typically reserved for kids, like buying colouring books, joining drum circles, and performing in community theatre. Studies show that focus on such activities are a fundamental part of maintaining mental health, and it’s working. 

Visit California’s ‘Childhood Rules’ campaign is the anthesis to mantras like 'Grow up!' and 'Act your age!' - encouraging travellers of all ages to enjoy all the Golden State’s wondrous experiences. 

Moreover, studies show that kids continue to be big influencers in family travel decisions and destination choice and that parents are also in desperate need of some fun and adult time on a family trip.

“California is kind of like one big family fun park, with nearly every attraction, experience and geography you can imagine,” says The Shipyard’s executive creative director Kerry Krasts. “We aimed to tell a story, through our incredible cast of kids and parents, about how the entire family can have a blast on family vacation here. And when everyone is having fun, family togetherness is a beautiful thing.”

The ‘Childhood Rules’ campaign spans broadcast, digital, radio and will have multiple extensions across social media platforms, including TikTok executions featuring outtakes from the kid casting call backs.