This commercial-within-a-commercial approach draws attention to problems facing women and to how the YWCA can help people bounce back from adversity.
The campaign consists of three :30s centering on the reactions of women as they watch public service TV spots in which other women describe their experiences with domestic abuse, homelessness and single parenting. In "Homeless," the female in the spot blaring on TV starts to relate her story.
"I once had a wonderful home in a nice neighborhood. But now it’s gone," says the woman.
Meanwhile, upon hearing that turn of events, a woman seated on her bed-initially not paying attention to the spot-is engrossed in the story being told.
The spot that plays on the TV set continues. "My husband left me. He drained my bank account and didn’t pay the mortgage. One night I’m asleep in my bed, and the next, I’m on the street. I never saw it coming."
As the women tells about suddenly being "on the street," the other female watching TV from the comfort of her bedroom clearly feel sympathy-and a fleeting sense of concern, as subtly conveyed when she unconsciously touches her wedding ring.
The overall spot then ends with a series of supers against a black background. The first reads, "Safe Housing. Family Support. Job Training."
The second reads: "Help Women Help Themselves. Give To The YWCA Capital Campaign.
The final super is of the YWCA logo, accompanied by a Web site address, wwww.ywcaworks.org.
The YWCA campaign was directed by Brian Johnson of The Story Companies, Chicago, for Seattle agency McFarland, Richards & Graf.
Both the women watching the TV sets and the women who appear on the small screen are actors, but the stories related are based on truth. "The scripts are derived from interviews with women who have faced these problems, but their very complex stories needed to be distilled to fit into a 30-second format," said Johnson. "There is a fine line between a performance that feels real and one that looks like acting. We worked hard to stay on the right side of that line. I avoided telling the actresses what to do and instead asked them to put themselves into the position of the women they play. How would they feel if they were in that situation?"
Johnson said the acting challenge was even greater for the women cast in the role of the listeners. "They had to communicate a whole range of emotions without speaking a word," he continued. "Those women had to make the transition from indifference to total empathy in a matter of seconds."
The agency team consisted of creative director Peter Richards, creative director/copywriter Gary Graf and art director Jerry Chin.
For The Story Companies, Mark Androw was exec producer, with freelancer Jens Linquist serving as producer. The campaign was shot on location in Seattle by DP Chris Bell.
Editor was Dan Mullins of Slice Editorial, Seattle. Dan Larson and Tim Maffia of Modern Digital, Seattle, were online editor and colorist, respectively. Audio engineer/mixer/sound designer was Jason Brown of Seattle-based Earforce.
Caroline Smith, Mary Kay Irwin were this spot’s principal actors. The SAG/AFTRA Commercials Contract Standing Committee has granted a waiver to allow commercials to be available for viewing on SHOOTonline.com. The spots cannot be copied, downloaded or emailed.
