Consider this an inspiring departure from all the coverage of mortgage meltdowns and the notion that the American dream, home ownership, has become the American ream.
Even with the subprime travesty, the fraudulent packaging of faulty loans into investment portfolios, and other miscarriages of justice that have knocked the global economy for a loop, there is still no getting around the fact that home is where the heart is, a place for family, friends and a good life. And embracing that positive for a worthwhile client, New Mexico’s Mortgage Finance Authority (MFA), was a creative team at 3 Advertising, Albuquerque, N.M., consisting of creative director Sam Maclay, art director Tim McGrath and writer Thea Kinyon.
This 3 Advertising ensemble created a three-spot campaign directed by Peter Zavadil (who’s repped nationally by Fatball, Austin, Tex) in which we get a glimpse of real people and what a better home will mean to them.
In this week’s “Best Work” gallery entry, “Couple,” we see a man and a pregnant woman standing in a vacant field which shows off the natural beauty of New Mexico. The couple lovingly embrace and interact, at one point the man even kisses the tummy of his expectant mate.
A voiceover relates, “When you buy your first home, you’re not only taking the next logical step in the game of life. You’re taking the first step through the door that will welcome every person most important to you, even those you haven’t met.”
An arched graphic of a home’s roof, the MFA logo, then appears over the couple as if sheltering them from the elements, in this case a subtle wind blowing through the scene.
An end tag introduces us to MFA, Housing New Mexico, and a website address (housingnm.org) for more info.
The other two spots in the campaign, “Family” and “Mother/Son” similarly depict close loving familial relationships and the importance of having a home as a place to help nurture the growth of those relationships.
“Good guys”
“These are the good guys,” said Maclay of the MFA. “This is a quasi-public agency created by New Mexico’s legislature in 1975. They have a hero program for teachers, firemen and police officers, helping them get favorable loans through credit bureaus and banks. The MFA also partially finances construction of housing projects and then offers them at affordable rates to low to moderate income people. They make first-time home ownership possible for those who would otherwise find it difficult. They help people to move into safer neighborhoods so that their kids can play outside. They uncover good home ownership and rental opportunities for needy families. They even make existing homes more energy efficient.”
Maclay related, “We wanted to do justice to the MFA and make sure they connected with regular everyday people who could use their services. So our idea was simple–to show people whom our audience could relate to, and we also wanted to use the MFA logo as a visual metaphor for the sheltering aspect of what housing does for families of all sizes and make-ups.”
In the :30 titled ‘Family,’ the logo sheltered the real family of four from snow. And in “Mother/Son,” the mother and son are protected by the logo from rain.
Real people Originally the intent was to cast actors, recalled Maclay. But ultimately the decision was made to opt for real people casting. “We were worried that if you put a group of actors together, you wouldn’t get the natural bond you feel from a couple, a family, a mother and son. So we wound up casting a young couple, a family of four with two kids, and a mother and small son. Their relationships, their bond, came through on camera and that made all the difference in the world for the spots.”
3 Advertising, which doesn’t have a production department, brought in Rebecca Elise Production Services, Albuquerque, to help bring the project to fruition. Rebecca Elise was executive producer on the campaign, with Carmen Silva serving as producer through the production services firm.
Elise turned 3 Advertising onto Zavadil. “We needed a good people director who ran a casual set and made performers feel comfortable, which is key to getting the best out of a real people cast,” said Maclay. “Peter clearly fit that bill. He is probably best known for his music video work featuring Reba McEntire, among other artists.”
