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.
“Mufasa: The Lion King” and “Sonic 3” Rule Box Office For 1st Weekend Of 2025
The Walt Disney Co.'s "Mufasa: The Lion King" claimed the No. 1 spot on the North American box office charts over the first weekend of 2025.
The photorealistic "Lion King" prequel earned $23.8 million in its third weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Paramount's "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," which has dominated the past two weekends, wasn't far behind.
"Sonic 3" stayed close with a 3-day estimate of $21.2 million, bringing its total domestic earnings to $187.5 million and helping the overall franchise cross $1 billion worldwide. "Mufasa's" running total is slightly less, with $169.2 million.
In third place, Focus Features' "Nosferatu" remake defied the fate of so many of its genre predecessors and fell only 39% in its second weekend. Horror films typically fall sharply after the first weekend and anything less than a 50% decline is notable. "Nosferatu," which added 140 screens, claimed $13.2 million in ticket sales, bringing its running total to $69.4 million since its Christmas debut. The film, directed by Robert Eggers, already surpassed its reported production budget of $50 million, though that figure does not account for marketing and promotion expenses).
No new wide releases opened this weekend, leaving the box office top 10 once again to holdovers from previous weeks. Several have been in theaters since Thanksgiving. One of those, "Moana 2," claimed the No. 4 spot for Disney in its sixth weekend in theaters. The animated sequel earned another $12.4 million, bumping its global total to $960.5 million.
The Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown," dipped only slightly in its second weekend, bringing in $8.1 million. With $41.7 million total, it's Searchlight's highest grossing film since Disney acquired the company in... Read More