It’s that special day everywhere in this homage to birthdays. We open on candles being put on different cakes, and look-sees at parties in assorted settings–including two at the same office at the same time, one celebrated with cupcakes, the other with a large cake.
Birthday parties unfold, often of the surprise variety, in a classroom and a house, among other venues.
Then we’re taken to residential suburbia in the form of a neighborhood cul de sac, with seemingly each house having a giant fully inflated bouncy situated on a front lawn or in the street. Each large bouncy is of a different cartoon character or animal and we see the springing, bouncing movement in all of them. Indeed there are a lot of people bouncing to their hearts’ content.
A female voiceover then begins, “Imagine a world with more birthdays.”
We then see different people of all ages, from a young couple to an elderly man and woman, having cakes with lit candles presented before them. And then we witness a succession of people making wishes and blowing out the candles on their birthday cakes.
“Imagine a world where cancer is scarce,” continues the voiceover. “Eleven million survivors show the progress we’ve made and prove that it’s not just a dream.
“We’re the American Cancer Society. The official sponsor of birthdays.”
An American Cancer Society (ACS) logo and contact info–including a website address, morebirthdays.com–then appears on screen in the spot’s end tag.
New “Anthem” This :60 entitled “Anthem” is part of a “More Birthdays” campaign created by The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va., for the ACS. The campaign–consisting of six TV spots, print, and online placements–is the first creative work from the ad shop since being named agency of record for the ACS in October 2008.
The creative strategy deploys the mantra “A world with less cancer is a world with more birthdays” to express that the American Cancer Society saves lives and is working towards that fateful day when cancer can’t steal another year from anyone’s life.
This new brand strategy also highlights what the ACS is doing to create a world with more birthdays, by helping people stay well and get well, by finding cures and fighting back. (Other spots in the campaign include “Find Cures,” “Stay Well,” “Fight Back,” “Get Well” and “Relay.”)
The campaign comes at a crucial time in that with today’s recession, charities are facing a decline in contributions and an increased demand for services. Thus it’s imperative for the ACS to connect with supporters so they know how their financial and volunteer contributions can make a positive difference.
More work to do “We’re proud that we have contributed to a 15 percent decrease in the cancer death rate since the 1990’s. In recent years, nearly 100,000 more people are celebrating birthdays annually. Eleven million survivors in the U.S. will have a birthday this year and that’s something to celebrate” said Elizabeth T.H. Fontham, national volunteer president of the ACS. “But if we can help consumers understand all of the ways we save lives from cancer, we can do more. If we can help more people take steps to prevent cancer and detect it early, if we can increase the number of patients we serve, if we can accelerate our cancer research efforts and engage more advocates in the fight, we believe we can create a world with countless more birthdays.”
The six TV spots in the campaign, including “Anthem,” were directed by Mike Mills of The Directors Bureau, Hollywood.
The Martin Agency’s creative ensemble included creative director Joe Alexander, copywriter Ken Hines, art directors Kevin Ragland an Daniela Montanez, strategic planner Fritz Kuhn, broadcast executive producer Molly Souter and associate producer Samantha Woolard.
Cayce Cole executive produced for The Directors Bureau, with Youree Henley serving as producer.
The DP was Andrij Parekh.
Editor was Angus Wall of Rock Paper Scissors, Santa Monica.
