Health Campaign

The health campaign I want to analyze for this assignment is “The World’s Biggest Asshole”, a PSA to promote millennial males to donate organs or sign up to be organ donors. This campaign did a very good job of grabbing the viewer’s attention and does not conform to other health PSAs because of the provocative use of dark humor instead of the typical use of framing young children in need.

The main character of this PSA is Coleman Sweeney, the world’s biggest asshole. This PSA takes you through a range of emotions, first being anger. Sweeney is shown throwing coins at a stripper, honking and yelling at an old woman crossing the street, giving a kid a cigarette and shooting a paint gun at a dog, among many more “asshole” worthy actions. Then, Sweeney dies in a restaurant while arguing over payment, still managing to be an “asshole” until his last seconds of life. Viewers are captured by his actions and angered by his lifestyle and attitude, when viewers discover he was an organ donor. The individual lives he saves by donating his organs are shown, along with their families, impacting countless people. This light-heartedness at the end brings viewers to tears, completing the emotional roller coaster of anger, laughter and joy. The character was made as much of an “asshole” as possible with producers knowing he would be redeemed on the back end of the story- that is why this campaign works. The story of Coleman Sweeney is a relatable to numerous people because everyone has that “asshole” family member that almost enjoys offending people and many people know someone who has needed some form of organ transplant.

It is not necessarily a gain frame type of health communication because it does not say if you are not a donor you are an “asshole”. It is saying that if you do donate, even if you live your life like Sweeney, you are helping countless people and families. Other people have something to gain from your decision to be a donor and you have nothing to lose.

Commercial 3 "My Mutant Brain"

One of the most interesting commercials I saw was the Kenzo film “My Mutant Brain” for perfume. The first time I saw this was when I attended a session that analyzed the shortlist for the awards. Essentially, this is a video showing a girl who is at a party and starts to feel overwhelmed, leaves, and starts dancing to techno music with the perfume at the end.
The first time I watched this commercial I did not know how I felt about it. The idea is cool, showing the woman’s symbolic battles through dance, but I did not think that linked to the perfume in any way. The jury described this as something that grew on you each time you watched it and you have to look past the surface for the symbolism. So I watched it again. You can see in the different types of dance and the movements that she is trying to express different situations or a journey. The eye contact and close up shots on her face let the viewers gauge where her journey would be taking her next. The moves would be aggressive, goofy, animal-like, and even graceful at some points to help describe the story. Sometimes I felt the dancing was too uncontrolled and not put together, so I would change the flow and styles of the movements. At the end, she jumps through an eye and shatters it in slow motion. This itself is a symbol, with her landing triumphantly and in a battle pose ready to continue the fight.
The song choice for this commercial is interesting to me because it is not necessarily pleasing to the ear and at times seemed to be almost too fast paced for the girl to keep her dancing in line with the beat. The music changed and was slow when she jumped through the eye, again being symbolic. I just feel that many of the different components that made this commercial what it was, were almost do drastic and aggressive. But, one could argue that is the whole point of the commercial- a young woman fighting her way. After the symbolism was pointed out to me, I can see where this was trying to go and I appreciate this piece of work for what it is and how it was filmed. However, I am still not completely won over.

Commercial 3 "My Mutant Brain"

One of the most interesting commercials I saw was the Kenzo film “My Mutant Brain” for perfume. The first time I saw this was when I attended a session that analyzed the shortlist for the awards. Essentially, this is a video showing a girl who is at a party and starts to feel overwhelmed, leaves, and starts dancing to techno music with the perfume at the end.
The first time I watched this commercial I did not know how I felt about it. The idea is cool, showing the woman’s symbolic battles through dance, but I did not think that linked to the perfume in any way. The jury described this as something that grew on you each time you watched it and you have to look past the surface for the symbolism. So I watched it again. You can see in the different types of dance and the movements that she is trying to express different situations or a journey. The eye contact and close up shots on her face let the viewers gauge where her journey would be taking her next. The moves would be aggressive, goofy, animal-like, and even graceful at some points to help describe the story. Sometimes I felt the dancing was too uncontrolled and not put together, so I would change the flow and styles of the movements. At the end, she jumps through an eye and shatters it in slow motion. This itself is a symbol, with her landing triumphantly and in a battle pose ready to continue the fight.
The song choice for this commercial is interesting to me because it is not necessarily pleasing to the ear and at times seemed to be almost too fast paced for the girl to keep her dancing in line with the beat. The music changed and was slow when she jumped through the eye, again being symbolic. I just feel that many of the different components that made this commercial what it was, were almost do drastic and aggressive. But, one could argue that is the whole point of the commercial- a young woman fighting her way. After the symbolism was pointed out to me, I can see where this was trying to go and I appreciate this piece of work for what it is and how it was filmed. However, I am still not completely won over.

Commercial 1: "Super Humans"

One of the many commercials I enjoyed was the “Super Humans” commercial to gain support for the Paralympics. The entire cast for the commercial is disabled and it is shot using a variety of video types. The song used repeatedly says “yes, I can” and the commercial follows the singer, who in in a wheelchair, as he goes to different settings within the commercial. The video cuts to individual athletes showing them competing and then during day to day life.

The video types used in this commercial include everything from professional video, to home phone videos, to car dash videos. The commercial usually starts with a home video of an athlete, then switches to them competing. When it switches to the professional video of them competing, it usually starts zoomed in on them in a way that at first makes them seem like they are not disabled. Then it zooms out, giving you the whole picture with perfect timing to the lyrics “yes I can”. For example, one may be a home video of someone disabled flying a plane and then it cuts to that same person competing for their sport at an Olympic level, leaving viewers in awe. Some shots of these athletes doing day to day life activities that would be difficult for them due to their disability are also shown, but in a humorous and loving light.

This commercial was effective because it did not cross the line with its light-hearted humor. The topic of disability is a touchy subject and this commercial could have easily crossed the line if it had not been so well done. The combination of humor with a view of the reality these people face and feelings of hope and inspiration is the perfect mix to effectively keep the audience’s attention and deliver the message. At the end of the commercial you cannot help but feel pride and appreciation for the people in this video and those who would be competing in the Paralympics because they have managed to successfully adapt to their disability and push through their darkest times.

Commercial 2: "Handle With Care"

One of my favorite health campaigns during the Health Lions days of the festival was the “Handle With Care” campaign for Gillette. This commercial grabbed my attention while I was perusing commercials and it nearly had me in tears. Honestly, there is nothing I would change about this commercial. In short, this commercial follows a son who is now older and is the primary caretaker for his father after his father experienced a stroke. This commercial highlights the son having to help his father with simple daily activities, showing the father-son role reversal and the depth of their relationship and focusing on the simple act of shaving his father’s face.

According to my own reaction and hearing about the similar reactions others had, this is a very effective commercial. There were a couple of different aspects that made this successful. The first being this appealed to ethos very effectively. The commercial is based on a true story, which makes it relatable. The way it is filmed makes the viewer feel as if they are peeking into very personal and vulnerable moments shared between father and son, using different action shots, close-ups, interview clips and slow motion video. The most careful and intimate moments of the son taking care of his father are shown with more detail in close ups, usually showing the son’s focus or the father’s gratitude. In addition to these moments, the voiceover of the son in the background explains the situation with short recordings of father son daily conversation inserted during pauses. This is all paired with soft heartwarming music.

Through out the commercial, the son describes how taking care of his father is an honor because his father did the same for him when he was young. This is all highlighted when the son takes almost 30 minutes to shave his father’s face, being careful not to cut his “squishy, thin skin”. If the closing line of the father wanting to know what he did to deserve a son like him does not make you cry, then the close-up after of the son tearing up while telling this story will.

Festival Day 8

          Today is the last day of the festival and I cannot believe it. This week really has been the longest and exhausting week of my life, but seemed short at the same time. This experience in general is something I will never forget. To end the week, I went to one of the move moving talks I think I attended this week.
           This morning I attended a talk with Platon, the famous photographer. He shared his stories behind each of his photos and his journey to get to each, while also describing how his photos represent the people and what they stand for. The photos themselves are breathtaking, but knowing the stories behind each photo, what Platon had to do to capture the photo and knowing the people’s personal stories had my eyes watering. As different as every photo and their story was, they all had one thing in common. Platon had to earn these people’s trust and respect when meeting them to capture the essence of the person and find their vulnerability. As soon as he meets someone, no matter if they are a world leader, if they are a young girl, or a local standing up for what they believe in, he always tries to make an immediate and  connection. Being able to get individuals to open up and be genuine with you in a short amount of time is a talent not many people possess. Those who are lucky enough to possess this quality can do great things.
          As a Public Relations major, this characteristic is something I would like to further develop for myself, especially after hearing how helpful it can be in your career and even in day to day life situations. I've been told before that when people meet me, they feel like I've known them for a while and that it is sone a new friendship. I have never thought of myself in that way, but after being told that during the festival and after seeing this talk, I want to embrace this quality for myself. Who knows what job I will end up pursuing and the different types of people I will meet along the way, but having this social skill will build meaningful relationships for work and new friends.

Festival Day 7

            It was sad to see everything being torn down. There were only a few talks today that interested me so after attending those, I spent half my day at YouTube beach for Pride.
           My first talk was about how creativity can change the world, hosted by Publicis with Christine Lagarde. What I found most interesting about this talk was her story. How even in her time, she was able to make her way up the corporate latter, conquer companies internationally and ultimately be with the IMF. She discussed that I'm many countries there is a legal framework that keeps women from earning as much as men, being taxed more and that it ultimately keeping them from entering the c-suite of companies. Men and women, no matter how much success you have had, need confidence to push through barriers and make your way to the top. Even the most influential people will lack confidence in moments of crisis. It is in these moments when creativity needs to take the wheel and men and women need to support each other for the good of the company and for the overall relationship between men and women in the workplace.
            The other talk I attended was with Gigi Gorgeous, a transgender YouTube beauty sensation, on YouTube beach. This was more of an inspirational, self-love and love others type conversation around her story. A few things she discussed did stick with me, especially coming from someone who has overcome as many obstacles as she has to get where she is. She described being transgender as “not heart or soul surgery” which can be difficult for friends and family members to understand. This is why she said her and her family “transitioned together”. I have friends who are gay and are not accepted by their families, but I cannot imagine people who choose to undergo surgery as well. If anything, I gained a deeper understanding of how emotionally draining going through an experience like that can be on the individual and their family. Having some form of loving support from a community through out our lives is a necessity for everyone, no matter how much you may think you are okay alone.