Legendary rock band U2 will lend a hand to raise awareness for the second annual Rock N’ Stroll fund raising event by Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital. U2 joins last year’s legends Elton John, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of Kiss, Slash from Guns n’ Roses and David Bowie. The goal this year was to add another high-profile rocker, and few are as well known as U2.
The campaign features babies in the make-up and costumes of legendary rock stars, all of whom granted the hospital the use of their imagery in 2014 and again in 2015 with the welcomed addition this year of U2’s Bono and The Edge.
U2 is currently on a 20-city tour of Europe and North America that includes two nights in Toronto, July 6 & 7. Despite their busy schedule, they took the time to review the Mount Sinai Rock N’ Stroll campaign and agreed to lend their support.
“The power that U2 lends to this campaign is immeasurable,” says Jim Wentzell, EV-P, Marshall Fenn Communications. “We got such a great response from the artists last year we approached U2 and they very graciously and quickly agreed to the use of their iconic images even though they are in the midst of an exhausting tour.”
Rock N’ Stroll®, is a unique fund raising walk supporting healthy moms and babies. Mount Sinai Hospital began as a maternity hospital and has grown into one of Canada’s busiest birthing centres. Over the years, clinical and scientific advances have advanced the frontiers of maternity care and newborn care, and Mount Sinai has been at the forefront of that change.
The event is promoted through out-of-home advertising created by Toronto agency Marshall Fenn Communications. The agency’s Co-creative Directors Dan Couto and Mike Vinakmens conceived the campaign. It will include transit, billboards, wilding and print. More media will be added as the date for the event approaches.
The inaugural 2014 event attracted more than 1,500 participants.
The 2015 event will be run September 27 in Earl Bales Park. Participants are encouraged to bring their baby strollers, but anyone is welcome to Rock N’ Stroll® to enjoy the Sunday morning walk, live entertainment and activities for the whole family.
“Our first year exceeded our goals and generated an enormous amount of awareness, particularly when Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley visited the hospital themselves to lend their personal support while they were on tour in Toronto,” says Lindsey Hodgson, Director, Communications & Marketing, Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation. “We’re very grateful to all of these rock legends for their support of our hospital and for allowing us to use their highly recognizable images to support our cause.”
