Aardman Animations teamed up with Bristol Ageing Better for an online PSA spot setting interviews with the elderly to the studio’s trademark animation style.
The PSA opens with a message about the widespread nature of loneliness among the elderly in England, informing viewers that one million older people in England say they often feel lonely, 11,000 of whom live in Bristol. It then proceeds to interviews with older people about what they do to stay active, physically and socially, to avoid loneliness. Hearing other people talk about how to deal with such issues should be beneficial to viewers but Aardman also sets the audio to charming, light-hearted and humorous animations, which functions to heighten the positivity. It ends with the message, “We want you to know that you’re not alone and that there are things you can do to be less lonely” before directing viewers to Bristol Ageing Better and providing contact information.
“Hearing the voices of older people in Bristol talking about loneliness helped us to understand just how easy it is for people to become lonely,” Heather Wright, executive producer at Aardman, told Adweek. “They gave us real stories that touched our hearts and minds. Our job was simply to bring them to life in a memorable way while addressing what is undoubtedly a serious issue for us all.”