The Census 2021

In 2021 we were commissioned by M&C Saatchi to shoot this campaign for ONS Census

Sharing now as we have just tracked down the final assets : )
Photography by Charlie Clift
Pitching, production, casting and all on set logistics by Morgan Evans *shot in the midst of Covid
Creative Leadership by Sophia Ben Yedder

The campaign is unique in its scale and breadth. The Census occurs every 10 years and documents England. It is very much part of our shared history.

We cast the net wide for our featured talent, shooting people from Inverness to Land’s End, capturing their stories along the way.

the end campaign was designed to reach and resonate with all adults in England and Wales, irrespective of age, location, race, sex, religion or living circumstances, the inclusive push features nearly 200 members of the public from across England and Wales.

Post shoot the pamphlets and PR was developed in 44 languages, with activity running across TV, radio, audio, social media, digital, out-of-home, press and PR.

Working in partnership with M&C Saatchi and the ONS, we were responsible for street casting the featured talent. Initially we were provided with a matrix of groups that were essential for us to feature – so our outreach began organically from here. We called, emailed and visited a plethora of spaces to connect with this talent, from local gyms, community groups, food banks, taxi co-ordinators to mosques, after school clubs and pub quiz groups… It was a truly massive integrated approach that befits its once-in-a-decade status.

The entire project was successfully completed from pitch to delivery, under the constraints of lockdown.
During the shoot the ever changing Covid protocols added layers of complexity to the daily logistics, our indie production crew bubbled together, isolated away from our families and dedicated the best part of 5 weeks shooting, on the road (or isolating) to this commission.