When you think of recent Comcast campaigns, the first that comes to mind is almost certainly GS&P’s award-winning, Wizard of Oz-themed spot which recreated the way a blind girl “saw” the film.
Comcast, however, has another point to make: the internet access that it provides can theoretically help kids compete in today’s digital economy…or at least avoid getting left behind. On that note, the client created an initiative called “Internet Essentials” which offers cheap service, related equipment and “training” to families who qualify due to their income brackets or other factors. The program has been running for five years, and the goal (via Comcast PR) is to help narrow the “digital divide” between kids who have regular access to high-quality internet connections and those who don’t.
What a nice thing for a multinational mass media company to do!
Comcast reached out to SS+K (in which M&C Saatchi bought a minority share last year) to help raise awareness of this program via two PSAs. Here’s “Language.”
So Eric could learn Chinese online thanks to both his own determination and the affordable services offered to his family by Comcast.
In “Code,” Anna seems to be an expert in both coloring and coding thanks, again, to the $9.95/month package for which her family qualifies.
We won’t say that the program changes our general opinions about Comcast, but consider the fact that no one FORCED the company to do this.
It’s definitely true that kids who don’t have internet access from a young age will miss out on skills and experiences that are essential when looking for a decent job in addition to a lot of trolls and time-wasters (but that’s another story).
Also, the kids are not actors and both spots were shot in one take. They’ll air on Comcast’s channels, and the campaign also includes OOH/print work like the piece below.
The media strategy, run by MediaVest, includes placements in the kinds of locations where relevant consumers might go: laundromats, churches, barber shops, et cetera.
Agency: SS+K
Partner, Co-Founder: Lenny Stern
Partner, Chief Creative Officer: Bobby Hershfield
Writer: Francesca Chabrier
Art Director: Ivan Djayaputra
Director of Production + Innovation: John Swartz
Sr. Producer, video: Brendan O’Malley
Sr. Producer, art: Jamie Appelbaum
Studio Director: Richard Shemo
Business Manager: Sarah Giarraffa
Account Director: Alex Neophytou
Account Supervisor: Christina D’Angelo
Production Company: Assembly Films
Director/DP: Jorn Haagen
Executive Producer: Gloria Colangelo
Executive Producer: Becky Donahue
Producer: David Feikens
AD: Otis Fun
Casting: Elsie Stark, Stark Naked Casting
Editorial: Bikini Editorial
Editor: Avi Oron
Assistant Editor: Gustavo Roman
Post Executive Producer: Gina Pagano
Post Producer: Ruganzu Howard
Visual FX/Flame: Meggen Burdick & Alan Neidorf
Color: Nice Shoes
Colorist: Chris Ryan
Sound: Sonic Union
Mixer: Rob McIver
Studio Director: Justine Cortale
Print Photographer: Richard Schultz
Print Illustration: Jolby and Friends