Ebola has largely disappeared from American headlines in recent months after the 2014-2015 scare, but the Ad Council and Y&R New York want to make sure it stays in viewers’ minds.
This is a very serious matter: experts have criticized The World Health Organization for its response to the African epidemic, which has killed 11,000 people to date, saying the org “does not currently possess the capacity” to contain the crisis.
The two parties recently collaborated on a campaign starring a few celebs you may know. Here’s former boy band member Lance Bass, who pokes a bit of fun at his own attempts to get media attention while emphasizing the seriousness of the Ebola story:
Next, actress Olivia Munn makes the same point from a backlot somewhere in California:
Finally, actor David Oyelowo plays on his own name in insisting that he will not be a spokesman for any particular product…for now, at least:
The campaign has its own social presence and website TrendOnThis.org, which tracks coverage of Ebola when compared to other, far more trivial matters involving, say, Paula Deen and One Direction.
The site includes information about the epidemic and videos like this one, also from The Ad Council, detailing the status of the recovery.
Unfortunately, as a couple of art directors recently proved with the help of one Kim’s derriere, Readers are still far more likely to click on reality star gossip than stories about tragedies overseas.
Y&R New York Creative Credits
Chief Creative Officer: Leslie Sims
Creative Directors: Marc Sobier, Greg Farley
Copywriter: Anthony DiMichele
Art Director: Brian Cheung
Executive Producer: Craig Jelniker
Producer: Liz Graves
Asst. Producer: Sarah Haroldson
Music Producer: Lauren King
Production Company: HeLo
Director: Alan Poul