Make-A-Wish: Three Years, One Big Idea
Featured work / Multichannel / Brand repositioning
Make-A-Wish came to us with a problem they could feel but couldn't quite name. Donors associated the organization with dying children and last wishes — a perception that was both inaccurate and increasingly working against them. They had a piece of research from Israel suggesting that happiness improves medical outcomes for sick kids, and they wanted to lead with that.
We listened. Then we set the research aside.
The science felt like a justification for something that didn't need one. The real insight was sitting right in front of us: children are astonishingly resilient. They find joy in places adults can't access. A kid in a hospital bed with an oxygen mask can still light up at the idea of snorkeling. That's not a study. That's just true.
Over 3 years, we built a body of work around what Make-A-Wish actually does — create moments of pure life inside something hard. Dread gave way to wonder. That was the whole job.
