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.

Festival Day 6

           Two of the talks that I attended today stick out the most to me. Both were obviously related to entertainment, but they came at it from different angles. 

           The first talk was a panel discussing brands working their way into major movies or television shows and becoming associated with the character or franchise. For example, James Bond always has the same type of car, or Jason Borne always wears a Rolex watch. These brands have found a way to integrate themselves with major productions without marketing their product in your face. It is essentially free marketing for the brand. However, I have to think that there may be some risk for the brand if they are willing to let their name be attached to a large move franchise. WhR if the actor gets bad publicity? What is the movie is a flop or ends up being controversial? These must be different aspects the brands need to consider. So this has me wondering: do the screen writers reach out to the brands or to the brands reach out to the screen writers in these cases? I feel that both options could be possible, depending on what the director has in mind for the character or maybe a brand is willing to almost sponsor some part of movie production to have their product used.

           The second one that resonated with me was actually a pop up talk that was planned yesterday apparently. This talk discussed different aspects of music and how that affects advertisements or how the music itself can be an “advertisement” in a way for a movement. The most interesting example they screened was when Chance The Rapper released his new song, “We the People” in a Nike advertisement for the USA Olympic basketball teams. The lyrics to this song basically is about pride for your country and what it means to you. This one collaborative video did many things: it advertised for Nike, it advertised for the olympics, it advertised Chance The Rapper’s new single. In addition, all three entities were portrayed in a positive light and gave an essence of country pride while also supporting the United States Olympic teams. This genius collaboration would be nothing without the music or the face behind the music. This just happened to be the perfect song for the advertisement and the perfect because the Olympic basketball team target market is aligned with the rapper’s fan base. If a different song with a different artist was used, this advertisement would not have been nearly as effective.

Festival Day 5

          Today I had to make a couple choices about which talks I wanted to see because there were a few going at the same time that interested me- choosing is the hardest part. I also explored the girls lounge today and treated myself to a nice massage and gel manicure while listening to a seminar they were hosting. 

           I started my day off with an interesting branding discussion with Adidas and Alexander Wang. Their discussion was mainly about the story of the Adidas brand and how just like anything, companies and brands evolve. Every company has its own branding story. The way Adidas views it’s brand is as a “brand in beta, original is never finished". For instance, the three stripes Adidas is now known for is used more than the original Adidas logo when originally, the three stripes were an actual function on the shoes. Pairing with Alexander Wang for a line helps develop the brand personality and allows them to reach a further crowd, expanding their brand.

           Next I went to a talk with Paramount entertainment that discussed how most people stream their television shows online and do not watch them live. It was interesting to see how viewers changing the way we consume content affects the overarching business. The goal for television now is to create such a compelling story that viewers crave to watch it live and make watching the show an event. A good example they gave was the red wedding episode in Game of Thrones. This episode sent a shock wave through the entire Game of Thrones community and caused viewers to bond over one season changing episode. This is the response shows need. 

           After this talk I went to the Dropbox session that discussed the creative process and how defining this can make for a better team dynamic on the office. Being transparent about your work process through out an entire project will create more investment from team members and will therefor create an overall better product. Apart from a better team dynamic, defining this for yourself will help streamline your work and make working with others more effective.

Festival Day 4

Day 4 of the festival and it is flying by. I’ve had a very packed day today. This morning I saw the talks with Mario Testino and Halsey. Both were very insightful- way better than the celebrity talks I saw yesterday. The third talk that I most enjoyed today was the discussion about the relationship between athletes and brands.

Mario Testino has his own agency, which I was unaware of (I just knew he was a famous high fashion photographer). I really appreciated his take on working with clients and this is something I want to strive for when I am in the workforce. He encourages company and brand individuality, which means that he does not expect every piece that he creates for different clients to be the same all across the board. Every photo he takes has the soul of the brand it represents, yet you always know that the photo was taken by Testino. The balance of self branding while also serving the brand of a client that he has achieved is astonishing and admirable. This reinforced to my how important one’s personal brand really is.

Halsey, an overnight pop star, is one of the most well-spoken and mature women in the music industry I have ever seen interview and she is only 22 years old. Something that stuck out to me that she discussed about herself was: “You can create a product that adapts to culture or create a culture that adapts to the product”. In this case she was referring herself to being the product and her music and fans as the culture that will adapt with her as she evolves. This view of her own personal brand allows her to be true to her own personal brand. I think this can most definitely be applied to individuals in the workforce or students as we develop our own brands. We have to make a choice to stay true to ourselves and our personal values, no matter what offer is on the table. Something else she said that stuck with me was about getting an ego as you become successful: “Work just as hard as when you started your journey, even when you have made it. Never get an ego and stop working”. This is something very humbling and is a great reminder to always reevaluate yourself.

The relationships between athletes and branding also brought up a good point. Athletes now are trying to keep their own brand, while representing organizations’s own brands like the NBA or NFL while also being the face of other brands like Nike. This constant battle between three separate brand entities is something that emerging athletes are starting to face because individual athletes are having more of a voice. The marriage of these three brands is a delicate balance, but I believe in the next coming years it is to be expected of all top athletes.

Festival Day 3

Day 3 of the festival I attended the eBay talk with Suzy Deer, the YouTube talk with Demi Lovato, the Karlie Kloss discussion and the talk with Haymarket and PR Week. Frankly, the Demo Lovato and Karlie Kloss talks were disappointing- the most interesting portion of those discussions were the openers talking about how YouTube has evolved and what Karlie Kloss has done with her career.

The small session with Suzy Deer was my favorite thing I did today. Part of the reason I wanted to participate in this study abroad program was to figure out what I wanted to do. Branding and brand management has always been interesting to me and this discussion with her showed me that I am headed in the correction direction. Specifically, her insights into helping a company rediscover their brand, expand their brand and evolve the brand without losing the company’s core values seemed like something I would enjoy working on for a company. An important thing she told us that I need to consider as a PR student, is that metics and numbers are an important factor in any business and that no matter your position within a company, you need to be able to understand metrics. Most importantly, understand how it affects your brand, how it affects your consumers and most importantly, how it affects your company as a whole.

The discussion with Haymarket also shared numerous insights about PR, branding and advertising agencies joining together. In the future, I believe that these separate entities will end up joining together to provide a more encompassing service to clients. Part of this belief comes from the fact that a lot of branding or advertising agencies end up winning the PR awards instead of PR agencies. The festival’s definition of PR has changed over the past couple of years and to me this means that just like any form of communication, PR is evolving along with technology, advertising and branding. For companies to keep up with everything changing PR is going to need to be a major player in keeping the company’s reputation up to date with technology.

Festival Day 2

Day 2 off the Cannes Lions festival was not nearly as overwhelming as the first day; however, I think today was the first day I had to decide between all the speakers I wanted to see in addition to the meetings we had scheduled for our class. Two of the seminars I attended today stood out to me.

The most influential one I saw today was about the power of boredom. A famous Korean television producer explained how his simple television show about people doing nothing but cooking three meals a day in the rural country side is so successful. The entire seminar focused on how we are constantly doing things to keep ourselves from being bored, whether that is working or using technology. The speaker pointed out that we spend our time working so we can make enough money to take vacation to do nothing. This hit home with me. The way we live our day to day lives has stripped the joy of the little things in every day life. People to no take the time out to even sit back and enjoy a moment for ourselves, put in extra work to make a delicious home cooked meal instead of ordering takeout, or even taking a second and sit without any technology to observe the world around us. This talk made everyone question: what is the meaning of labor, life, and the meaning of time and what are you doing to achieve these meanings.

The second most influential seminar I went to today discussed how cannabis will displace culture of places who accept cannabis as a medical use. This speaker discussed the benefits of using cannabis as a pharmaceutical drug instead of the stereotype it is given with the war on drugs. The possibilities of changing people’s view on this topic is possible; however, I think some major branding would need to develop for the certain strains of cannabis used for pharmaceutical purposes that were discussed in this seminar. It is going to take more than science and history to break this barrier: the culture around this topic needs to be reformed.

Festival Day 1

Day one of Cannes Lions was indescribable to say the least. I managed to make it to all the seminars I planned on and in between, somehow managed to see all the small company exhibits and got the “lay of the land” of the festival grounds.

The most interesting seminar focused on how technology can improve teaching in the medical field. Professor Shafi Ahmed pointed out the way medical students learn and the medical curriculums has not evolved, even though the technology doctors use has. He was the first person to live stream a educational surgery with a two way communication forum using Snapchat, Facebook live and VR. This just proves that the way we use technology can be applied in ways we had never thought about before. We are all connected, whether that is through globalization or social media and we should use this to our advantage. This opens a whole new door for medical education but also education in general: you could be a student in one hemisphere and have a teacher in another. This idea could change the game for people who want a high education but cannot afford the fees to move or access the school physically.

One of my favorite talks I went to today was an inspiration session I originally had not planned to go to. This session featured Lucy McRae, a sci-fi artist, film director and body architect who focuses on combining body, technology and art in futuristic ways. What made her talk so inspiring is hard to put into words. Simply, it left me speechless how her mind knows no boarders. What stood out to me was her idea of taking “exquisite risks”- risks that are unique and on the edge of uncertainty. This idea is simple: you cannot have creativity without risk. This exact attitude toward risk taking allowed this woman to take what she is most passionate about and cross it with science, experiments and health. This crossover of two completely different worlds has lead to new discoveries that have impacted so many people. If different industries and ways of thinking came together like this, so many more advances in health could be achieved.