It’s early morning. The alarm clock rings. Rather than biding his time to get a few more minutes of shuteye, a spry, elderly man solidly sets his feet on the floor to get out of bed.
He springs into exercise, doing pushups on the bedroom floor, then walks to the bathroom to wash up. Next we see him back in the bedroom, getting dressed—however, he isn’t donning stereotypical senior-citizen attire, like a pair of sweats. Instead, he’s putting on a military uniform.
On the bedroom dresser before him are glimpses of his past, including a framed photo of him as a college football player. As he continues to dress, we see that he’s a colonel, and that his uniform jacket is adorned with medals of distinction and ribbon military decorations. With him we view his reflection in the mirror as he straightens his tie. Another framed photo on the dresser shows him as a wet-behind-the-ears Marine inductee.
The screen goes black; against it appears a single word: "FREEDOM."
We return to the bedroom where once more we view the colonel’s reflection in the mirror—we also see a second elderly man, waking up in the same bed.
Again, against a black background, a super appears, this time reading, "TO DIFFER."
Back to the in-the-mirror perspective, we see the colonel’s male partner leave the bed. Also revealed to us is the last small medal that the colonel has pinned to the jacket he’s wearing: a gay pride insignia.
The spot is tagged with an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) logo, under which appears the Web site address of its Washington State chapter (aclu-wa.org).
Titled "Colonel," the commercial is one of two spots for the ACLU state chapter—part of an integrated campaign that also includes print ads and an online component. Conceived by Seattle ad agency Cole & Weber/Red Cell, the multimedia campaign is billed as being the first of such magnitude for an ACLU state affiliate. Cole & Weber/Red Cell associate creative director Jim Elliott said that the campaign’s aim is simply "to inform people, especially those in the 20s and 30s, about the ACLU and the importance of the values for which it stands."
The campaign centers around the idea, explained Elliott, "that everyone should have the freedom to differ, and that freedom is essential to the people’s lives." Acknowledging that the campaign can be construed as "controversial," he noted, "Our hope is that this work provokes discussion and encourages a younger generation to join the ACLU."
The agency creative ensemble consisted of creative director/copywriter Elliott, art director Greg Wyatt and producer Maleah Jacobs.
Bob Purman of bicoastal Moxie Pictures directed and shot the two-spot package. The other commercial, "Medicinal," addresses the use of marijuana for seriously ill patients. Purman’s Moxie support team included executive producer Gary Rose and producer Mark Hyatt.
Johnna Turiano of Slice Editorial, Seattle, cut the TV campaign. Online editor was Steve Harris of Flying Spot, Seattle. Colorist was Flying Spot’s Jeff Tillotson. Audio mixer/sound designer was Vince Werner of Seattle-based Clatter & Din.
The ad campaign broke last month in the State of Washington.
