Creative > Ad of the Day

Ad of the Day

TrueNorth "Inspiration Cafe"

Brand: TrueNorth
Agency: StrawberryFrog
Review Date: February 23, 2009

I love the woman featured in this commercial. Unlike most ads that strive to be "inspirational," this one actually hits he mark. Actress Helen Hunt makes her directorial debut with this TruthNorth campaign via StrawberryFrog that profiles people doing extraordinary things. She manages to paint a heartfelt portrait of the commercial's star, Laura Nigro, an ex-cop who founded the Inspiration Café, which serves Chicago's homeless in a restaurant-style environment and offers job training and placement. At one point she says: "When you are walking into the Inspiration Café, it feels like you are walking into my heart." The spot beautifully conveys that sentiment, and it's impossible not to believe that Nigro is in fact living her dream as she laughs with her staff, dances around the kitchen and serves the people in her facility. Her patrons are also displayed with dignity. The final voiceover makes it clear that the Frito-Lay snack brand is not responsible for her impressive achievements, but informs viewers that the company is like-minded. --Eleftheria Parpis

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Overall rating:
(2.29 ) Poor

17 Comments
  • 1. tooliteral comments:
    April 10, 2009

    Tag line about turning an ordinary nut into an extraordinary something or other paired with the story of an ordinary person doing something special...so they're implying that these people featured are nuts?


  • 2. joe stalin. comments:
    March 12, 2009

    and another thing, giving yourself a bad-ass name like blackpen is kinda adolescent.


  • 3. joe stalin comments:
    March 12, 2009

    and by the way, blackpen dude, what gives you the right to submit three mean-ass comments? it's just wrong, wrong, wrong.


  • 4. joe stalin comments:
    March 12, 2009

    it's good. so everyone can just shut the hell up.


  • 5. jimBrit comments:
    March 03, 2009

    After 30 seconds, I thought this was a decent enough story about a decent enough project. Then it went on...and on...and by the end it was dripping and wallowing in its own bathos....


  • 6. HR comments:
    February 25, 2009

    Is this AMEX?


  • 7. WOW!!!! comments:
    February 25, 2009

    This is crap. Why did you go and get Hunt to direct it? It only got you industry PR and now more people know it's crap. You should fire everyone involved with the project.


  • 8. BlackPen comments:
    February 25, 2009

    When first year ad students do some "inspiring" campaign like this, their teacher calls 'em out on relying too much on borrowed interest, then tells them to start over. My guess is this campaign is the product of some self-indulgent creative director that doesn't have anyone to tell him/her to start over. Nuts.


  • 9. BlackPen comments:
    February 25, 2009

    When first year ad students do some "inspiring" campaign like this, their teacher calls 'em out on relying too much on borrowed interest, then tells them to start over. My guess is this campaign is the product of some self-indulgent creative director that doesn't have anyone to tell him/her to start over. Nuts.


  • 10. BlackPen comments:
    February 25, 2009

    When first year ad students do some "inspiring" campaign like this, their teacher calls 'em out on relying too much on borrowed interest, then tells them to start over. My guess is this campaign is the product of some self-indulgent creative director that doesn't have anyone to tell him/her to start over. Nuts.


  • 11. undeclared comments:
    February 25, 2009

    what a ballsy move. companies that are more than about the stuff in their bags/bottles? novel, no. but takes guts when you're a big behemoth. Clorox did this too, no?


  • 12. Inspiration comments:
    February 24, 2009

    "What's your TrueNorth?" Are you kidding me? What's you hack attempt at ripping off AmEx? Like 12 years of AmEx! StrawberryToad.


  • 13. viewer comments:
    February 24, 2009

    I wasn't familiar with the product until this ad and I like the inspirational message.


  • 14. random comments:
    February 24, 2009

    another big corporate company trying to raise social awareness. How much did this campaign cost? They should have donated the money to the charities instead of paying Helen Hunt to direct.


  • 15. disgruntled comments:
    February 24, 2009

    This spot is a lame rip-of of AMEX campaign "My Life My Card"


  • 16. jaded comments:
    February 24, 2009

    like it


  • 17. priz comments:
    February 23, 2009

    Was this ad for tampons? Light bulbs? Breakfast bars? It keeps slipping my mind.


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