The Ad Council, partnering with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and AdoptUSKids, launched a public service campaign, created pro bono by Edelman, which aims to inspire prospective parents to consider adopting a teen from foster care.
This centerpiece PSA titled “The Rewards”–directed by The Hudson Dusters (Michael Kuhn and Niles Roth) via Greenpoint Pictures–spotlights real adoptive families who have personally experienced the mutual benefits of adoption. This longer form PSA (and cutdown versions) begins with a touching display of openness and vulnerability as adoptive parents reflect on their adoption journeys and their initial questions and hesitations about adopting a teen. Then, in a deeply emotional turn, the adoptive parents witness their children recounting the profound rewards of adoption in their lives. The teens speak of the love they share with their parents and how the decision to become a family is reciprocal. The campaign directs viewers to the AdoptUSKids website to learn more about adopting a teen from foster care.
Credits
Clients U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families; AdoptUSKids Public Service Organization Ad Council Michelle Hillman, chief campaign development officer; Dzu Bui, SVP, group campaign director; Mary Zost, VP, campaign director; Andrew Scibilia, campaign manager; Lauren Kim, assistant campaign manager. Agency Edelman Isidoro Debellis, Manas Abrol, Mara Evans, executive creative directors; Mary Soroka, creative director; Allyson Paisley, group creative director; Cindy Chapman, group executive producer; Natasha Correa, sr. producer. Production Greenpoint Pictures The Hudson Dusters (Michael Kuhn, Niles Roth), directors; Sammy Monrow, 1st AD; Nate Hurtsellers, DP; Tatiana Rudzinski, exec producer, partner; Leah Donnenberg Ramia, exec producer; Karen Berkowitz, head of production; Luke Stevens, line producer. Editorial Greenpoint Pictures Joe Walker, editor; Tatiana Rudzinski, exec producer, partner; Leah Donnenberg Ramia, exec producer; Lexy Leeds, producer. Audio Alt Mix Studio Cory Melious, sound engineer. Color Harbor Picture Company Damien Vandercruyssen, colorist; Brad Martin, producer.
How do you top one of the most viral brand videos ever made? Spoiler alert: you can’t. But when Dollar Shave Club tapped Zack Seckler to direct a new campaign to revive the absurdist humor of its iconic launch video, he knew he had a rare opportunity to create something special.
The brief was simple: introduce the concept of a physical “Club” that people would love to join while showcasing Dollar Shave Club’s products and embracing the weird. From script to direction and post, Seckler--an alum of SHOOT’s 2021 New Directors Showcase--was invited to help sculpt that vision.
The result is this “Welcome to the Club” spot which invites us to join a unique, seemingly exclusive but in reality an accessible and affordable fraternity of Dollar Shave Club members. But you need to know the password or more accurately, the two-word phrase--"shave money."
“The Club” campaign brings the brand back to its humorous roots, reflecting a new chapter after being acquired by Nexus Capital Management from Unilever in late 2023. The work takes Dollar Shave Club back to its disruptive beginnings and what made the brand a viral sensation from its inception in 2011.