Shelter reframe a pop classic to expose the housing crisis

A nostalgia-laced Madness anthem becomes a protest track in Shelter’s new campaign, “Our House is not a Home,” created by DUDE London.

The project uses a reimagined version of the 1982 hit “Our House” to highlight the bleak realities of temporary accommodation, where thousands of families in the UK are currently placed—often for months or even years.

The stripped-back acoustic cover soundtracks a 60-second film directed by Milo Blake through Spindle.

Shot on film for added texture and realism, it depicts a family trying to maintain daily life in an overcrowded, damp, and unstable space. Familiar lyrics like “Father wears his Sunday best” hit differently when juxtaposed with visuals of mouldy ceilings and kids crammed into shared beds.

Supported by HSBC UK, the campaign aims to challenge the assumption that a roof equals a home.

As Shelter’s Director of Campaigns and Policy Mairi MacRae puts it, “By centring the experiences of those in damaging temporary accommodation, ‘Our House’ will be vital in building public support for the fight to end homelessness.”

For the agency, the emotional weight of the brief drove an elevated creative approach.

Executive Creative Director Tomás Gianelli O’Ryan called it “the most urgent we’ve had at Dude London.”

 

 

Advertising Cause Related