Following the launch of ‘A Cry For Help’ last week, maternity charity Pregnant Then Screwed has called on the government to address the ongoing childcare crisis by taking the campaign to Downing Street’s doorstep.
Alongside its creative partner, Saatchi & Saatchi, Pregnant Then Screwed has now brought the childcare crisis to Westminster Square and is launching nationwide out-of-home spots to make the campaign impossible to ignore in the run-up to Mother’s Day (19 March).
The hero creative, centred around a baby’s cry – scientifically proven to be impossible to ignore by humans – was played on loudspeakers at high-impact spots across the capital including outside Parliament, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and The Treasury in a bid to drive further awareness.
A letter addressed to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was also delivered by Pregnant Then Screwed, signed by 42,328 struggling parents calling for childcare investment within the spring budget.
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“The Spring budget is getting closer by the day, and the cry from parents is getting louder. We don’t just have a cost of living crisis in the UK, we have a cost of working crisis with 75% of mothers who pay for childcare saying that it no longer makes financial sense for them to work,” Pregnant Then Screwed founder and CEO, Jeoli Brearley said.
“1 in 10 mothers are now paying to go to work; and that’s if they can even secure a childcare place – with more and more nurseries struggling to remain open. The question isn’t whether we can afford to invest in childcare, it is whether we can afford not to. Unless we want to lock parents out of the labour market entirely then we need investment and we need it now.”
The campaign was launched after a report by the charity found that the UK’s childcare costs now in the top three most expensive across the developed world, a third of all parents (32%) who use formal childcare have admitted that they have had to rely on some form of debt to cover their childcare costs, and three in four mothers (76%) who pay for childcare say it no longer makes financial sense for them to work.
Saatchi & Saatchi chief creative officer, Franki Goodwin added: “This entire campaign is about creating an ask that’s impossible to ignore, so this week we’ve taken the cry further and wider, both across the UK and straight to the doors of the decision makers. If you’ve ever tried to do anything whilst there’s the sound of a baby crying nearby, it’s impossible, and it turns out that includes working, commuting and even opening letters in peace.
“Humans are hardwired to take notice of this sound and we’re proud to have partnered with Pregnant Then Screwed to create a campaign impossible to ignore. We hope that with Mother’s Day on the horizon, our request for a response will be heard and listened to.”
