Agency BMB launched a holiday effort for Contact the Elderly designed to raise awareness of the nearly half a million pensioners in the U.K. who will be alone this Christmas.
To accomplish this, the agency created an intentionally depressing item, the “Solo Cracker,” and accompanying ad. The 40-second spot depicts an elderly woman sitting down to a holiday meal by herself, introducing the “Solo Cracker” as “Half the people, twice the fun.” It concludes by directing viewers who know someone spending Christmas alone to the campaign website and a quickly delivered (funny/depressing) “Not a suitable replacement for real friends.” It’s certainly a more attention-grabbing approach than the typically straightforwardly depressing PSA, but we wonder if some viewers may be too taken aback by to follow through on its message. Hopefully most will appreciate that the humor is in service of a good cause and not meant at the expense of its subject.
“Loneliness and isolation are two of the biggest challenges facing the UK. We wanted to raise awareness of the issue with a campaign that bucks the trend of conventionally sombre charity advertising,” explained BMB creative director Matt Waller. “We hope that Solo Cracker gets more people to sit up and take notice.”
Credits:
Creative Director: Matt Waller
Art Director: Jenny Piggott
Copywriter: Harry Boothman
Account Director: Jen Knox
Director/ Production Co.: Martin Tighe
Editor: Martin Tighe
Post Production: The Mill
Sound Design: Wave
DoP: Martin Tighe