In this Ad Council PSA for AdoptUSKids and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, a lad tells his mother he wants a cat, despite the fact that she’s allergic to felines. Mom is left with three choices, each of which is comically depicted: prepare yourself, make the best of it, or find a loophole. The spot ends by stating that there are no such things as perfect parents, but teens in foster care will love you just the same.
One of two spots directed by Scott Vincent of Hungry Man for agency KBS, “Cat” is part of an ongoing campaign targeting prospective parents who are considering adopting from foster care but who have not yet started the process. Talent was chosen from a comedic background, and selected specifically because they were unassuming and relatable. The central idea behind the campaign is that there is no one right answer when it comes to parenting, furthering the message that, “You don’t have to be perfect to be a perfect parent.”
Credits
Client Ad Council/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families/AdoptUSKids Agency KBS Jon Goldberg, executive creative director; Kevin Gentile, Michael Abell, creative directors; Lauren Finn, sr. copywriter; Jessica Mottola, sr. art director; Kathleen Diamantakis, co-chief strategy officer; Alison Geraghty, strategist; Jenny Reed, head of production; Davniel Roversi, sr. content producer. Production Hungry Man Scott Vincent, director; Dan Duffy, Mino Jarjoura, Jacki Sextro, Caleb Dewart, exec producers; James Kadanoff, line producer; Steve Ruggieri, production supervisor. Editorial PS260 Maury Loeb, editor; Evann Borgman, Jane Brockman, post producers; Erica O’Brien, assistant editor. VFX PS 260 Finish Zarina Mak, managing director; Andy Philippi, VFX producer; Fabien Coupez, Margaret Yang, Flame artists. Color Company 3 Tom Poole, colorist. Music/Sound Sound Lounge Audio Post Sound Lounge Tom Jucarone, mixer.
At the heart of this campaign for Pay.UK Current Account Switch Service (CASS) is a playful yet relatable narrative, brought to life in the hero TV commercial, “Blind Date.” Directed by Rosie May Bird Smith of Biscuit Filmworks for agency House 337, the spot follows a woman nervously meeting her blind date, only to discover the person waiting for her is someone you definitely wouldn’t want to meet on a blind date. The voiceover reassures: ”Blind dates. They’re a bit like switching bank accounts. You don’t want any surprises. That’s why we guarantee there won’t be any when you switch with the Current Account Switch Service.”
“Everyone knows the pain of a bad date, the gut-churning realization you’ve texted your boss instead of your mate, and being stuck next to someone eating the world’s stinkiest lunch,” said Ross Newton, creative director, House 337, who added, “Life is a minefield of unwanted surprises, so coming up with the campaign idea was the easy part. The real challenge was deciding which situations to include and which to ditch. Sadly, these scenarios are all too relatable for us all, myself included.”
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