Home Centre's 'The Homecoming' turns adoption into a brand purpose — WARC Grand Prix

Home Centre's brand platform is 'every home has its own story to tell', yet in the Middle East adoption and fostering are actively denounced and legally difficult, leaving many orphans without families. The furniture retailer decided to be the first brand in the region to open the topic, making 'home' mean family rather than furniture.

Launched around World Adoption Day in November 2022, the initiative's centrepiece was 'Falling in Love', a film in which a couple waits through a nine-month 'pregnancy' — the twist being that they are adopting, not giving birth. Written from interviews with adoptive parents and set to a licensed cover of Elvis Presley's 'Can't Help Falling in Love', the film followed the real six-to-nine-month adoption journey.

Around the film, Leo Burnett Middle East built a support system: a digital platform with guidance from a psychologist and a legal advisory firm, links to adoption organisations, amplification from influencers and TV shows, and an art exhibition telling the stories of children without families.

The campaign reached 65% of the region with 1.2 billion impressions and 467,000 website visits; sentiment swung from 50% negative to 82% positive, brand liking rose 37%, and more than 7,300 orphaned children were adopted. It was documented as a WARC Awards for Effectiveness Grand Prix case study and won Gold for Social Impact at Loeries 2024.