The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs is currently using this creative and compelling ad to raise awareness of the need for more foster families for youths between the ages of 15 and 17.

The ad, which was developed by Try/Apt, combines the deep metaphors of journey, transformation and connection. The ad’s message is shown through the eyes of a girl drawing herself as she grows older. In her drawings, she shows herself move from a state of happiness as a child to a state of isolation and sadness in her youth. In the background, we also see plants and butterflies transform into trees and birds.

It isn’t until towards the end of the ad that the deep metaphor of connection truly comes into play. Still through her drawings, the ad shows that having caring foster parents will redefine this young girl’s story by putting her on the path to a bright future. As such, the ad ends with the following line: “It’s never too late to help someone on the right track.”

In addition to the deep metaphors at play here, the ad is also operating on a very high context. No words are spoken throughout the ad as it relies heavily on the strong visuals and the rather compelling Canon in D, one of the most famous pieces of music by German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel.

This concept choice for the ad is particularly interesting because Norway, along with a few other Scandinavian countries of Northern Europe, is traditionally seen as a low context culture. It demonstrates that audiences can be receptive to concepts that use message styles that deviate from their known cultural context.