Stepping Stones is a specialist fostering pathway for young people aged 16–22 who are leaving foster care but still need guidance, stability and emotional support as they transition into independent adulthood. Hosts provide a room in their home alongside practical, day-to-day support – offering independence, without isolation.
Fostering in Somerset approached us to create a TV-led campaign that could explain this often-misunderstood role in a way that felt human, hopeful and emotionally truthful.
Working to a very modest budget, we developed a visual metaphor centred on a broken bridge – a young person standing at the edge of adulthood, unsure how to cross alone. As the story unfolds, bricks appear beneath their feet, each representing the real-world support a Stepping Stones host provides: guidance, patience, life skills, emotional support, encouragement and care.
Rather than over-producing the animation, we deliberately leaned into a hand-drawn, black-and-white pencil style, allowing the moment of arrival – a welcoming, colourful town – to land with real emotional weight. The approach ensured the lack of budget never felt like a lack of quality; it simply made every creative decision more intentional.
The visual language was loosely inspired by rotoscoped animation techniques, where live-action reference informs natural movement and timing. Rotoscoping has a long cinematic history – most famously in Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – and remains a powerful way to achieve expressive, human motion while retaining a stylised, illustrative look.
Since launching, the campaign has delivered exceptional results. The Stepping Stones page on the Fostering in Somerset website saw an almost 2000% increase in visits compared with the previous year – a genuine uplift driven directly by the campaign.
What’s particularly notable is the creative’s longevity. First aired in 2023, the same advert has continued to run in short bursts across ITV and Sky AdSmart for over two years, consistently driving engagement and interest. In an industry where many ads deliver a brief spike before quickly fading, this sustained performance is a strong indicator that the concept connected at a deeper level.
Alongside broadcast delivery, we adapted the campaign artwork for printed materials, ensuring visual consistency across formats while increasing resolution and clarity for physical use. This allowed Stepping Stones to maintain a cohesive identity wherever prospective hosts encountered the campaign – from television to print.
The result is a piece of work that balances emotional storytelling with practical outcomes, proving that thoughtful creative, even on a limited budget, can have lasting impact.
Advertising IQ is a creative advertising agency delivering strategic, high-quality campaigns across TV, video, animation and digital media.
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