Adoption Focus | The Long Wait
Results
277 million
total audience reach
275% uplift
in adoption enquiries per week
1.45 million
out of home impressions
Brief
Faced with an adoption crisis, Adoption Focus came to Brandnation with the task of raising their profile across Central England, increase adopter enquiries and improve engagement amongst key audiences with the overarching objective of delivering placements for children patiently waiting for their forever home.
By late 2025, over 2,940 children with a Placement Order were waiting to be matched with an adoptive family – 1,430 had waited more than 18 months since entering care. The problem was evident, and their requirement clear.
Response
Working closely with the Adoption Focus team and Adoptors, we ensured every element was sensitive, credible and reassuring, positioning Adoption Focus as a trusted voice while challenging misconceptions about adoption.
We developed an ethically grounded creative and PR strategy that addressed adoption’s empathy gap through the combination of responsible AI with authoritative broadcast storytelling to humanise waiting without exploitation.
We wanted to make the invisible visible by reframing adoption through the lens of time. ‘The Long Wait’ campaign brings the experience of waiting children into sharp focus, asking one profound question: How long is too long to wait?
The Long Wait focused on the cost of delay, showing how children grow older while waiting for permanent families. Ethical, AI-assisted imagery was used to visualise this passage of time without depicting any real children in care, allowing the campaign to communicate urgency and emotional truth while maintaining safeguarding and trust.
Amplification
Impact from the campaign was amplified through a broadcast-led PR strategy and high-impact out-of-home placement. Adoption Focus’ CEO was positioned as the campaign spokesperson across national and regional radio and TV, while the creative ran in high-footfall commuter and city locations. This ensured the message reached audiences beyond those actively seeking adoption information, sustaining momentum through repeated, trusted exposure.
