Mother’s Choice raises awareness of crisis pregnancies with anime-style video

Ahead of International Women's Day, local charity Mother's Choice (母親的抉擇) has partnered with MSL Hong Kong to launch a girl empowerment initiative to raise awareness about crisis pregnancies and let teenage girls know they have the right to choose.

Mother’s Choice has cited Bain & Company’s data that there are at least 5,400 cases of crisis pregnancies in Hong Kong each year. The majority of these cases involve single girls under the age of 25. However, Mother’s Choice has acknowledged that the age of girls seeking help is getting younger, as young as 13 years old.

Mother's Choice has promoted the tagline spirit of "I have a choice" (我有得揀) to empower teenage girls who face crisis pregnancies to make informed decisions regarding parenthood, adoption or termination. Alia Eyres, CEO of Mother's Choice, said that this video aims to directly address the queries of the audience, assuring them that Mother's Choice will continue to provide a loving and non-judgmental place for those facing crises.

As part of the initiative, Mother's Choice has debuted a Japanese anime-style video. It is conceptualised by advertising agency Ogilvy and is created by an all-female team led by local animation team Tsui Brothers (崔氏兄弟). It has adopted a first-person perspective and features Japanese anime-style aesthetics. This format aims to allow the target audience of teenagers to empathise with the emotional journey of the young girls facing crisis pregnancies, from confusion and helplessness to gradually finding their way out of the darkness and making a choice.

A spokesperson from Ogilvy said: "Through this video, we aim to connect with our audience in a heart-warming manner by introducing them to Mother’s Choice and visualising how we can assist them. Our approach is tailored to teenage girls, communicating content and language they enjoy and are familiar with. We want them to know that we genuinely empathise with their needs, and that we are readily available and accessible whenever they require assistance. Like friend, like sister."

In the video, Mother's Choice has introduced a new Instagram mascot called “Backflip kitten”, which serves as a supportive big sister for the target audience. The mascot made its official debut on Instagram in February 2024.

The creation of Backflip Kitten is inspired by the desire to engage with the younger generation through online content, using fun, relatable messaging to capture their attention. The Instagram account focuses on various topics that resonate with young girls, including relationships, self-love, girls' health and beauty, as well as self-protection.

Mother's Choice told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the Backflip Kitten will spread innovative educational messages through interesting memes and visuals, and interacting with audience through games or poll on Instagram, solidifying position of Mother’s Choice as a warm and non-judgmental pillar of support.

As the demand for the services of Mother’s Choice grows and crisis pregnancies become more complex, it is adapting to societal changes. This includes expanding its presence on social media and other channels to engage with the younger generation, aiming to break the intergenerational cycle caused by crisis pregnancies. 

"The cases of crisis pregnancies we deal with at Mother's Choice have grown increasingly complex, especially for girls aged 12 to 16,” Eyres said.

"We firmly believe that every girl deserves a second chance. Our pregnant girls' programmes are designed to break the vicious cycle caused by crisis pregnancies," she added.

"We are happy to engage the audience with local anime-style and hope to arouse the audience’s interest through a familiar aesthetic," said Tsui Brothers.

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