A shot of a steaming cup of coffee hardly seems all that engaging. But it proves poignant in light of the supers running alongside it in this :30 PSA for the American Red Cross of Central Texas.
The first super simply reads, "Thousands of cups of coffee." It is followed separately by, "11 million meals" / "3,000 first aid kits" / "housing for 4,000" / "counseling for 162,000" and "49,000 relief workers."
Then the spot brightens to a white background with the supered message, "Just thought you’d like to know what your donations have done so far."
The American Red Cross of Central Texas logo and ID appear, above the slogan, "Together, we can save a life."
"Coffee Cup" is part of a three-spot campaign created by Austin, Texas-based ad agency GSD&M. It shows the impact of Texans’ contributions to this Red Cross chapter, in terms of helping victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The director/cameraman for "Coffee Cup" was Dennis Fagan, a still photographer who is diversifying into commercial helming. The spot was lensed at Dennis Fagan Studios in Austin.
The GSD&M creative team consisted of senior VP/group creative director/art director Brent Ladd, VP/group creative director/copywriter Steve Miller and producer Margot Hetrick, who also line produced "Coffee Cup" for Fagan.
Joe Reese of Match Frame, Austin, served as an editor, as did GSD&M’s Miller, who cut on a laptop computer using Final Cut Pro. Match Frame’s Reese and Joe Malina were colorists. Logo and typeface treatments were done by Ron Pippin of Match Frame. Audio mixer was Chris Erlon from Digital Domain of Austin. Music, played on guitar, was donated by bicoastal Elias Arts.
The two other :30s in the campaign—"Just Begun" and "1,700 Miles"—consist of still photography accompanied by supered messages in a theme similar to that of "Coffee Cup." For example, in "1,700 Miles," it’s noted that "you provided housing for 4,000, you gave counseling to 162,000, millions to families." The bottom-line summation: "From 1,700 miles away, you made a difference."
