While the life insurance company Modern Woodmen was founded in 1883 around the fraternal pioneering spirit, the new “Campfire Stories” campaign from advertising agency Cronin honors the real pioneers of today–moms. Cronin tapped into the contrast of modern culture and old-school values to break through the clutter. The anthem spot, directed by O Positive’s Brian Billow, features iconic characters–Pioneer and Cookie–as companions to a busy, hard-working mom who’s the hero of the story.
This campaign is the brand’s first in over 140 years. Billow, who’s an alum of SHOOT’s 2008 New Directors Showcase, said, “I loved the scripts as soon as I saw them. It’s a smart idea visually juxtaposing the pioneering spirit of Modern Woodmen’s history with a modern woman’s busy life to make a point about life insurance in a fun and relatable way.”
Credits
Client Modern Woodmen Agency Cronin Lester Ayala, SVP/head of production; Paul Catanese, executive creative director/copywriter; Scott Kaplan, Josh Gold, copywriters; Vlad Ivangorodsky, Margot Belyea, art directors; Jodi Ciarleglio, producer. Production Company O Positive Brian Billow, director; Ralph Laucella, Marc Grill, exec producers; Adriana Cebada Mora, producer; Paul Cameron, DP; Kevin Bird, production designer; Laura Eckert, costume designer. Editorial MackCut Ryan Steele, editor; Gina Pagano, exec producer. Post/VFX Parliament Eric Mason, VFX supervisor; Lexi Stearn, exec producer. Color Company 3 Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist. Music/Sound APM Music
After losing part of his right leg due to cancer, Terry Fox campaigned to raise national awareness and funding for cancer research by running his Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada 42-km daily run, on his prosthetic leg. Fox, who died in 1981, is a national hero. His image will be on Canada’s new $5 bill.
In this two-minute video titled “Finish It,” the Marathon of Hope is recreated. It’s all done in one take, and it features an actor/marathon runner who uses a prosthesis on the same leg as Fox. CGI was deployed to make him look more like Fox. To further ensure the actor represented Fox accurately, not only did the actor and team watch and study many videos of Terry, but Terry’s brothers, Fred and Darrel, coached the actor on Terry’s running style and mannerisms. They also created a copy of Terry’s prosthesis for the actor to use for the shoot.
The message is clear. As the Marathon of Hope now marks its 45th anniversary, we now have the opportunity to “Finish It” for Fox, raising money and awareness to get a cure for cancer over the finish line, completing the work that Fox started. The public service film starts with Fox on the marathon run, eventually joined by a crowd of other dedicated runners from all walks of life who take over the race.
Mark Zibert directed via production company Scouts Honour for Toronto agency Diamond. The video features a never-before-heard version of the song “Courage” from Canadian band The Tragically Hip.
“We wanted to create a campaign that captures the magnitude of Terry Fox’s legacy while driving meaningful action,” said Peter Ignazi, chief creative officer at Diamond. “By revisiting the Marathon of Hope with such care and reverence, we aimed to reignite Terry’s mission and... Read More
