A Thousand
Words

In a society where conversations around grief are often put in the 'too hard basket', A Thousand Words takes an intimate look at mother loss — through the eyes of grieving daughters.

Many community members from Motherless Daughters Australia reported feeling isolated and misunderstood in their grief — often sugar-coating their experiences to accommodate the feelings of others.

They believed a clinical approach and common misconceptions around grief had contributed to the fact that they are rarely given space to acknowledge or celebrate their mums — especially on days like Mother's Day — making it extremely difficult to keep her memory alive.

Through an end-to-end campaign that included an online hero video, two TVCs, billboards and digital screens across Australia, we encapsulated intimate memories and personal experiences of grief — highlighting the struggles it presents and normalising its very natural response.

We created a space in real time for grieving daughters to keep their mum's memory alive — just as MDA do — and through their lived experiences, also provided education and insight on how society can better support someone experiencing the loss of a loved one.

The campaign honours and celebrates all mums who have passed, while validating the daughters and families left behind. These acknowledgements were featured on a number of out-of-home assets — including digital screens at Westfield Shopping Centres across the country — providing representation for mums who had passed at an otherwise triggering time of year for their families.