In the lead entry of this week’s Short Takes column, we cover the “Elect Susie” campaign created by Fallon Minneapolis for the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF). The work is designed to help build awareness of CDF’s legislative program called the “Healthy Child Campaign,” which looks to address the children’s healthcare crisis in the United States.
A major component of the Fallon package is a series of TV commercials in which 10-year-old Susie Flynn makes a strong case for her candidacy for the country’s presidency. In a spot titled “Announcement,” Flynn announces that she’s in the race. If elected, she promises to make sure the more than 9 million uninsured children in America gain health care coverage. Among the other ads is “Lincoln” in which Flynn asks the statue of President Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial if there’s any reason why such a rich country can leave so many children without health coverage. She interprets the silence as there being no earthly rationale, prompting her to tell Lincoln that she agrees with his assessment.
The spots were directed by Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple (Harlan County, USA, and American Dream) via bicoastal Nonfiction Spots.
Clearly Fallon’s creatively inspired work is first and foremost for a worthwhile cause. Yet a couple of secondary observations–a tale of two departures from the norm–hit me upon first viewing it.
For one, “Elect Susie” is the antithesis of what is the political advertising standard that consists of mudslinging, fear mongering and negativity. Indeed advertising’s role in political campaigns for the most part represents a figurative black eye for our industry. To now see a positive, uplifting strategy deployed in “Elect Susie”–albeit for a candidate who’s a minor–is nonetheless refreshing.
Sadly, this campaign’s other departure is from much of the advertising done for so-called health maintenance organizations over the years. Talented creatives have cleverly promoted HMOs, frequently tugging at the heartstrings or even employing humor to try to help cast these clients in a favorable public light. The commercials include warm, fuzzy images of family members enjoying time together, of youngsters laughing and playing with friends in the backyard, of “we care” testimonials and other “patient comes first” messages in line with the Hippocratic oath–or as M*A*S*H’s Hawkeye Pierce said, “You better make that my golfer’s oath, which is more binding.”
I don’t mean this as an indictment of all HMOs but it’s safe to say that there are many instances where a significant number fall far short of caring for their patients properly.
The “Elect Susie” work made me recall my early years covering this business when I befriended a copywriter who quit an agency because he thought the advertising for an HMO client was hypocritical and he couldn’t in good conscience continue to be a part of it. He explained back then that “life is too short” to do that kind of work..
Unfortunately, for some, it can be even shorter if they have the wrong HMO.
Oscar Nominees Delve Into The Art Of Editing At ACE Session
You couldn’t miss Sean Baker at this past Sunday’s Oscar ceremony where he won for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Editing on the strength of Anora. However, earlier that weekend he was in transit from the Cesar Awards in Paris and thus couldn’t attend the American Cinema Editors (ACE) 25th annual panel of Academy Award-nominated film editors held at the Regal LA Live Auditorium on Saturday (3/1) in Los Angeles. While the eventual Oscar winner in the editing category was missed by those who turned out for the ACE “Invisible Art, Visible Artists” session, three of Baker’s fellow nominees were on hand--Dávid Jancsó, HSE for The Brutalist; Nick Emerson for Conclave; and Myron Kerstein, ACE for Wicked. Additionally, Juliette Welfling, who couldn’t appear in person due to the Cesar Awards, was present via an earlier recorded video interview to discuss her work on Emilia Pérez. The interview was conducted by ACE president and editor Sabrina Plisco, ACE who also moderated the live panel discussion. Kerstein said that he was the beneficiary of brilliant and generous collaborators, citing, among others, director Jon M. Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman. The editor added it always helps to have stellar acting performances, noting that hearing Cynthia Erivo, for example, sing live was a revelation. Kerstein recalled meeting Chu some eight years ago on a “blind Skype date” and it was an instant “bromance”--which began on Crazy Rich Asians, and then continued on such projects as the streaming series Home Before Dark and the feature In The Heights. Kerstein observed that Chu is expert in providing collaborators with... Read More