NSPCC | EXCUSE | 1992
No More Accepting Excuses / NSPCC "EXCUSE"
In 1992, a public service ad ran in British cinemas. It opens with nearly a full minute of darkness, then photos of children and the "excuses" given by their abusers appear one after another. Quiet, dark, and impossible to look away from.
The idea
As Chris Rea's "Tell Me There's a Heaven" plays, photos that appear to be of real children are shown. After a parent's excuse — "Sarah fell down the stairs after tripping over a teddy bear" — the screen cuts to black, and NSPCC's response appears: "That doesn't explain the whip marks on her back." Burns, broken bones, cigarette marks — the ad calmly lays excuse after excuse against the truth hiding behind each one. At the end, the words "DON'T ACCEPT EXCUSES" appear, along with an appeal for donations to Christmas emergency support.
What happened
The ad won a Graphite Pencil at the D&AD Awards 1992. It was screened in cinemas and rated for audiences aged 15 and above.
Afterthought
What makes this ad so powerful is that it hides nothing, yet shows nothing. The photos are innocent, the music is sad, and it's only the text that names the violence underneath it all. Forcing the viewer to imagine the rest is, in a way, incredibly cruel — and that's exactly why it stays with you. The fact that something like this could be made in 1992, and that it was properly recognized with an award, gives me hope.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 1992
