UNICEF’s brief was rooted in a startling truth. Despite overwhelming evidence that shared play between parent and child boosts cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development, millions of children are missing out. Research shows 34% of parents don’t believe their family plays enough, and a striking 4 in 5 children wish their parents would play more with them.

Southpaw’s solution was grounded in behavioural science and human truth. Parents often think that if their child is playing, that’s enough, even if they’re not involved. We needed to disrupt that assumption and reframe shared play as essential, not optional, but without guilting parents into it. We wanted to ensure parents felt empowered, not overwhelmed by compassion fatigue. Southpaw’s strategy was to shift parents from passively encouraging play to actively participating in it.‍

At the heart of the campaign is a breathtakingly simple but emotionally supercharged idea: to a child, even the smallest moment of play with a parent can feel like the biggest game in the world. The hero film pairs warm, wonderfully ordinary user generated content of real families playing together, from bedroom “sausage rolls” to backyard dance battles, with the soaring sound of the world’s most iconic sports commentaries. The juxtaposition is surprising, moving, and unforgettable. Transforming these fleeting family moments into epic, celebratory highlights of childhood.

Launched on International Day of Play 2025, the film achieved 200M social media impressions, 23M YouTube views and a 90% video completion rate.