In this PSA for the Ad Council and AARP, tough guy Danny Trejo pays homage to the toughest guy of all–the middle-aged male caregiver who looks after his father or as Trejo says, the guy who has the “crazy strength to life the man who raised him up.”
Conceived by DDB NY and directed by Tim K of production house Bullitt, the spot is both humorous and touching as we see Trejo shaving with a machete, lifting a car with one hand and knitting a chain link scarf–images juxtaposed with the caregiver shown shaving, lifting and feeding his dad.
As our population ages and family size shrinks, the face of caregiving in America is changing. While the “typical” family caregiver (providing unpaid care for an aging adult loved one) is a 49-year-old woman, today men represent 4 in 10 (16 million) unpaid family caregivers in the U.S. Many male caregivers say that they don’t feel comfortable discussing this aspect of their lives.
The Ad Council and AARP are joining forces on their first ever PSA campaign designed specifically to address this largely unrecognized population. The ads demonstrate that caregiving is “tougher than tough,” and direct viewers to aarp.org/caregiving for practical tools and guides.
Credits
Client AARP/Ad Council Agency DDB New York Icaro Doria, chief creative officer; Lucas Panizza, executive creative director; Turan Tuluy, sr. copywriter; Mina Mikhael, sr. art director; Madison Wharton, chief production officer; Ed Zazzera, head of production; Chris Klein, executive producer. Production Bullitt Tim K, director; Todd Makurath, CEO/exec producer; Luke Ricci, exec producer; Jennifer Sprunger, head of production; Vincent Oster, line producer. Editorial Cut+Run Joel Miller, editor; David Belizario, assistant editor; Lauren Hertzberg, exec producer; Joanna Hall, sr. producer. Color The Mill Mikey Rossiter, colorist; Natalie Westerfield, producer. VFX/Conform Jogger Joseph Grosso, Flame artist; Matthew Dolvin, assistant Flame artist; Wendy Gardner, producer. Music Felt Music Natalie Dickens, music director. Audio Post Duotone Audio Group Andy Green, audio engineer; Greg Tiefenbrun, exec producer.
When dozens of Klick Health team members said they wouldn’t be able to hug loved ones over the festive season, the agency turned to AI and other magic to orchestrate a series of sentimental, surprise reunions captured in its “Holiday Hugs” video. The heartwarming four-minute video, benefitting the D.C.-based Foundation for Social Connection (F4SC), parallels recent findings from a Maru/Blue Public Opinion survey commissioned by Klick.
The poll found 74 percent of Americans and Canadians won’t be able to hug at least one person they wish they could over the holidays. And like those in the video, survey participants cited geographical distance and loved ones having passed away as the leading factors preventing their hugs.
“I just wish I could really squeeze her right now,” says teary-eyed New York Klickster Kari Bocassi watching her AI-generated hug with her sister Marlene, moments before she bursts onto the set for a long in-person embrace. The siblings have spent the past 14 years caring for their mother since her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, but haven’t been together for the holidays since Marlene moved to Virginia. Similarly, Toronto’s Fred Duarte gets the bear hug of his life when his brother Rico, who lives in Brazil, walks into Klick’s production studio for their first holiday reunion in seven years.
Directed by James Cooper via Cooper Films, “Holiday Hugs” also taps into the fact that hugs don’t just make people feel better emotionally, they also have numerous health benefits. According to the National Institutes of Health, hugs can lower blood pressure and boost the immune system.
“There’s nothing quite like the warmth and reassurance of a heartfelt hug,” said Klick’s chief creative officer Rich Levy. “With ‘Holiday... Read More
