Clay Weiner of Biscuit Filmworks directed this package of spots which take us to the family dinner table where the father, played by comedian Will Ferrell, is oblivious to everything except his smartphone. Overdosing on social media, he’s of no use during what should be quality family time.
In this ad titled “Cat Filter” we see kids seemingly in mourning, talking about how they miss their dad. The wife is also sad. But we find out that poppa is alive and well. It’s just that his presence is missed as he’s playing with a filter that makes him look like a cat on his mobile device.
Creative for the “Device Free Dinner” campaign for client Common Sense Media came out of Goodby Silverstein & Partners.
“We know that kids who have dinners at the table without devices get better grades, have healthier eating habits and are more socialized than kids who have devices at the table,” said Margaret Johnson, partner and CCO, GS&P. “So we enlisted some celebrity help to show the importance of having device-free dinners.”
Credits
Client Common Sense Media Agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners Jeff Goodby, Rich Silverstein, co-chairmen; Margaret Johnson, chief creative officer; Hanna Wittmark, art director; Kate Baynham, copywriter; Tod Puckett, director of production; Olivia Baker, producer. Production Biscuit Filmworks Clay Weiner, director; Shawn Lacy, partner/managing director; Holly Vega, exec producer; Lisa Stockdale, producer; Mercedes Allen-Sarria, Rachel Glaub, heads of production; Doug Chamberlain, DP; Jeff Higinbotham, production designer. Editorial Arcade Edit Sean LaGrange, editor; Tessa Malsam, assistant editor; Kirsten Thon-Webb, head of production; Crissy DeSimone, exec producer; Adam Parker, producer. Online/VFX Timber Jonah Hall, Kevin Lau, creative directors/partners; Sabrina Elizondo, exec producer; Melody Alexander, head of production; Chris Homel, lead Flame artist; Brandon Harden, Flame assistant; Emily Avoujageli, sr. producer. Color Gregory Reese, colorist; Thatcher Peterson, exec producer; Diane Valera, color producer. Sound Design/Mix Lime Studios Joel Waters, Mixer; Stephen Fredericks, assistant mixer; Susie Boyajan, exec producer. Music Butter Max Schad (BMI), composer; Annick Mayer, exec producer. Butter Cuts (BMI), publisher/label.
Continuing their partnership to combat the mental health crisis among America’s youth, the Ad Council and McCann New York have released the latest installment of the “Sound It Out” campaign which focuses on helping parents and caregivers have meaningful conversations with their kids about emotional wellbeing.
The new work, “Listening is a Form of Love,” focuses on the important role parents and caregivers play in supporting young people’s emotional wellbeing and is supported by new data from Surgo Health’s Youth Mental Health Tracker. The survey highlights that: 55% of youth (ages 10-24) report mental health struggles; and one in five youth report symptoms of depression, and one in four report symptoms of anxiety.
The film includes an interactive digital experience that invites parents to practice “holding space” by pressing the space bar to listen to kids sharing what they wish their parents could hear, in their own words. Along with this literal interpretation of the active listening the campaign encourages, the website also gives valuable tools to help parents and caregivers be better listeners, and in turn, better support their kids.
There is also this 60-second PSA--directed by Alex Fischman Cardenas via Greenpoint Pictures--which underscores the power and importance of listening to your loved ones.
