Hasta La Creative!

Fresh off reminding us that Nepal needs donations and that we can recycle our bathroom products, the Ad Council is back with another take on an always-topical subject: domestic violence.

The new campaign, created by RSA Films to support the nonprofit Futures Without Violence, includes TV, radio, digital, and outdoor elements. They’re based around the web resource microsite “Teach Early,” which includes a manual on how to prevent your own kids from growing up to be abusers.

The TV spot equates the act of teaching respect to that of turning one’s kid into a competent athlete:

There’s research behind this campaign: a survey conducted by the Futures Without Violence organization found that, while nearly 90 percent of men say they feel like they should talk to young boys about violence committed against girls and women, less than one in three did so over the past six months.

These numbers seem to apply to all men rather than just those with children, but the larger, more important point is that one in four women become victims of violence perpetrated by a loved one within their lifetimes.

The campaign also encourages men to share images of “teachable moments between men and boys” along with the #TeachEarly tag. We’re told that several famous people will run pics of themselves either mentoring or being mentored, but that part of the campaign doesn’t seem to have launched yet.

iHeartMedia did the radio ad and Clear Channel did the outdoor.

Banksy's "Balloon Girl" provides a fitting image for the children whose lives have been ravaged by Syria's civil war, which just entered its third year.

The British street artist drew some criticism in October for the "awkward politics" of his satirical video about the conflict. His balloon imagery in this new "With Syria" awareness campaign, however, based on his stencil from 2002, has met with considerable praise, and rightly so.

We've seen several stirring calls to aid Syria's children recently. They include a PSA in which physicist Stephen Hawking gives voice to their plight, and a video that imagines if the horrors took place in London. (Both are from Save the Children.)

"With Syria" is no less powerful, and its duality is striking, encompassing both hope and regret. The hopeful message of kids lifted above violence and strife toward a better future (represented with soul and simplicity in the "With Syria" video) has received the most attention.

The regretful message is subtler. A child clutching for a balloon suggests a childhood lost. Forever. That fate has befallen far too many Syrian kids already. More will suffer if we don't rise to the challenge and bring about meaningful change.

The animated spot was written and created by Sunshine, and directed and produced by RSA Films. Idris Elba does the voiceover. Elbow contributed exclusive music.