We talk about a ‘Mother F**ker’ of an ad campaign with its creative visionary, Gemma Phillips

A clever collaboration between Pregnant Then Screwed and The Dad Shift tackling paternity issues is out now, so we spoke to its maker about the inspiration behind the work.

The ad series is aimed at highlighting how current UK paternity leave is ‘a Mother F**ker’, especially for women who've had c-sections.

Doctors advise mothers who've had c-sections not to pick up their babies or drive for six weeks, and yet statutory UK paternity leave is only two weeks, which Phillips says “doesn't add up”.

The campaign is supported by Anna Whitehouse and shot by photographer Sane Seven, who has shot Angela Merkel and Hollywood stars, amongst many other prominent women.

Tom Hall (TH): You went bold on this one. What inspired the ads, and what was the brief?

Gemma Phillips (GP): We're just reflecting what women have said for decades in parks, meeting rooms and WhatsApp groups. The aim is always to resonate on the subject matter and then open the floor and pass the mic for other women, dads, co-parents and carers to share their own experiences. With this campaign, it's been particularly great to see dads sharing their personal experiences, especially on a professional platform like LinkedIn.

TH: What sort of testing and research took place?

GP: As an independent CD working with, in this case, organisations like Pregnant Then Screwed and The Dad Shift, there's no budget or time for testing. I usually rely on my very non-scientific ‘WhatsApp’ method, which involves sending something to a trusted group of collaborators.

As creatives, many of us have experienced testing diluting strong ideas, so it's really refreshing to work in a way where you can trust your instinct, experience and network to do the testing for you.

TH: As a freelancer, what sorts of assistance do you get and have you built up a trusted network?

GP: You have to rely way more on your network and I've been lucky to work with some incredible people on this project: Sane Seven (photographer), Kerry Roper (designer), Celia Venables (PR), Sliced Studios (Studio space), as well as a very brave and trusting client in Pregnant Then Screwed and The Dad Shift.