Tommy’s Sheds a Light on the Lifelong Impact of Baby Loss

Tommy’s, the leading UK pregnancy and baby charity, has unveiled a campaign to raise awareness of the charity’s ground breaking research to tackle miscarriage and baby loss

Created with Special London, this is the first work from a new brand strategy and creative platform developed for the charity. The TV and Out-of-Home campaign uses the shadows and reflections of children at play, set against everyday landscapes. In each execution one child, however, is projected alone, ultimately illustrating the lifelong impact of baby loss. 

Inspired by conversations with bereaved adults across the UK, the campaign is a stark reminder of the preciousness of life and the long-term effect of living with loss. The powerful visuals evoke the profound sense of absence and unrealised potential that people live with after losing a baby.

Half of all UK adults have experienced baby loss or know someone who has*. These statistics underscore the widespread nature of baby loss in the UK, challenging the misconception that it is ‘just one of those things’. 

The campaign reinforces how Tommy’s work is changing outcomes, so that many more families can bring their babies home. Through life-saving research and care, Tommy's is making pregnancy and birth safe and improving the journey for expecting parents. This new campaign follows the launch of the government’s ‘baby loss certificate’ scheme to recognise the loss of a baby before 24 weeks, no matter when it happened. The scheme has been welcomed by bereaved families - irrespective of whether their loss happened recently or more historically. This response further demonstrates the message that pregnancy and baby loss can cast a lifelong shadow. 

The campaign, which breaks on Channel 4 on 22nd December, will include a 30” TV ad as well as the full length 60” spot, directed by Jackie Bao at Biscuit Filmworks. The film features the reflections of a child in water, with a parent calling out to them as they play in puddles. This will be supported by OOH executions, featuring the shadows of children standing on a beach and in a park, which will be displayed across the UK. 

Special’s chief creative officer, David Day, said, “Like a lot of people, I didn’t realise how much pregnancy loss touches so many of us. In fact it’s so prevalent it’s become normalised and those affected are made to feel like it’s just one of those things that happens; which has led to expectant mothers and partners having to deal with such hurt alone. That’s why Tommy’s exists, to give a voice, support and through research change our perception to make pregnancy loss less of the norm. It’s a delicate subject and raising awareness needs an equally delicate touch. A balance of sensitivity, poignancy and immediacy. Working closely with such a collaborative client as Tommy’s, Biscuit Filmworks and director Jackie Bao I believe we've managed to create something special that captures that spirit and in some small way supports the brilliant work Tommy’s do, and help create change.”

Tommy's director of marketing and communications, Lizzie D’Angelo, stated, “Our new campaign aims to tell a story we hear so often; of the devastating absence left by pregnancy or baby loss. The brief for this project was ambitious - we wanted to demonstrate Tommy's impact as the leading pregnancy and baby charity working to make pregnancy and birth safe for everyone. We are so proud of this collaboration with the incredible teams at Special London and Biscuit Filmworks, and our director Jackie Bao - all of whom have generously given their contribution in kind due to a connection to our cause. We have created something simply beautiful which captures the essence of the grief caused by baby loss, but which conveys the hope that Tommy's research is here to create change so more families can bring a baby home.”

Donations towards Tommy’s research can be made here: