Striking a chord of optimism has become a New Year’s tradition in this column. In the big picture perspective, the outlook for 2004 is at least somewhat promising. Leading studies have forecast ad growth for TV and cable based in part on the quadrennial effect of the Olympics and the U.S. presidential elections. How much original spot production this translates into remains to be seen.
Yet while there’s cause to be guardedly upbeat, optimism is also an attitude that can positively impact reality. And a proactive approach to creating a positive influence is high on our wish list for the industry in ’04. Some public service work in the offing certainly holds such promise. One is a follow-up spot to an anti-discrimination PSA that debuted last month in Los Angeles. The still-airing commercial takes us to a fast food restaurant where drive-through customers are informed that they are being charged for lunch based on the sound of their voices. People with certain foreign sounding accents, for example, will have to pay more for their meals. These aren’t actors but rather real people whose reactions—or lack thereof—to racial bias are quite telling.
The follow-up PSA is currently in postproduction. The shoot took place in December at a skate festival featuring free burgers and gear giveaways. The event was staged for this commercial, specifically to draw young people and get their reactions to discriminatory practices. Two actors portray security guards who direct youngsters to skate in certain areas of the park. One guard informs a lad that everyone with blue eyes needs to skate elsewhere, pointing to the far end of the park. Similarly, other kids are instructed where to go based on their eye color.
Most of the teenagers simply obey the guards. A few object to the arbitrary rules. The action was captured by hidden cameras. Skaters weren’t informed of the real reason behind the discrimination until the end of the day, when they were given goody bags and a release form to sign.
Both spots were directed by Michael Franzini of Public Interest Productions, Santa Monica, for Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Venice, Calif., on behalf of The Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission and Rock the Vote. Public Interest Productions is a nonprofit shop affiliated with bicoastal/international @radical.media. Fashioned to increase awareness among young people about discrimination and the various forms it can take, the campaign was prompted by a study, which found that some 50 percent of hate-crime felony prosecutions in L.A. County between ’98 and ’00 involved youths.
Meanwhile, addressing discrimination on another front is agency Siddall, Richmond, Va., for client A More Perfect Union, a nonprofit group that received a grant to fight racial bias, particularly against Muslims following Sept. 11. Siddall conceived of two spots, which at press time were being completed. Both PSAs are slated to run in Virginia, but A More Perfect Union is working with prospective corporate sponsors to expand its reach. The director is Whitey Bel-Air III of the recently launched Phil’s Films, Marina del Rey, Calif.
The importance of trying to raise awareness about prejudice was underscored in a Los Angeles Times article covering the aforementioned skate festival shoot. In the Times story, Rock the Vote president Jehmu Greene said she wasn’t surprised by the apathy of many of the teen skaters toward the guards’ discrimination. Greene observed simply, "If we can empower one person to speak out the next time they are in this situation, then we have a real chance of winning this fight."
