GE Humanizes Its Technology in 'What Matters' Campaign From BBDO

General Electric will help you do homework, get you to your grandson's school play on time, and even ensure your preemie baby girl arrives home safely. Such intimate applications of the company's products and services are on display in BBDO's "What Matters" campaign, which explores GE's innovations across aviation, healthcare and power generation. Asserting that "Technology is how we do things. People are why we do things," the spots broke during NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. "More important than the things GE does are the reasons they do them, and that's to create personal outcomes that are important to us," Michael Aimette, executive creative director at BBDO New York, tells us. "She doesn't care that we developed an algorithm to help stabilize babies' temperatures, or that we designed an advanced incubator with minimal noise," begins the narration in the first ad below. "What matters to her is that her daughter was born five weeks early, but she'll be coming home tomorrow." [kickout id="1"] Next, we learn GE builds the world's most powerful jet engine, so Nana won't miss a very special curtain call: [kickout id="2"] Also, GE claims its "technology powers a third of the planet," which comes in handy for a youngster burning the midnight oil in rural India (no actual oil required): [kickout id="3"] Here's an anthem spot that weaves together all three scenarios: [kickout id="4"] "The creative team found a great tension in pointing out that people—all of us—probably aren't all that interested in how GE does the amazing things that they do," Aimette says. "What we do care about is how all that stuff makes a difference in our lives. So we set out to tell very simple stories that everyone can relate to, and illustrate how GE stands for something greater than the sum of its innovations." Smuggler director Todd Field, a former actor, supplies the voiceover in the low-key spots. His everyman tones and muted cinematic style create a soothing, reassuring ambiance—perhaps appropriate for a company that's found itself struggling in the marketplace. These are attractive ads with strong storytelling, if perhaps a tad too safe and easy to tune out. More understated than GE's recent work about a girl who never stops inventing stuff, or its "Unimpossible Missions" series, the vibe harkens back to a simpler time, when the company wasn't bleeding dollars, and its advertising focused on bringing good things to life. CREDITS Client: GE Title: "Anthem" "Home Tomorrow" "Homework" "3:00 Sharp" Creative Agency: BBDO New York Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn Executive Creative Director: Michael Aimette Senior Creative Director: Eric Goldstein Creative Director: Fred Kovey Head of Production: David Rolfe Executive Producer: George Sholley Producer: Jack Patrick Music Producer: Rani Vaz Senior Account Director: Peter McCallum Account Director: Lindsey Cash Account Manager: Jen Layton Assistant Account Executive: Jordan Ji Group Planning Director: Jessica Strode Senior Planner: Ben Bass Production Company: Smuggler Executive Producer: Patrick Milling-Smith Executive Producer: Brian Carmody Executive Producer: Shannon Jones Chief Operating Officer: Andrew Colon Line Producer: Alex Waite Director of Photography: Justin Brown Director: Todd Field Editorial: Rock Paper Scissors Executive Producer: Eve Kornblum Producer: Taylor Colbert Editor: Adam Pertofsky Assistant Editor: Marjorie Sacks Visual Effects: A52 Producer: Stacy Kessler-Aungst VFX Supervisor: Andres Barrios Telecine: Company 3 Producer: Kevin Breheny Colorist: Tim Masick Music: Hook & Line Mix: Sonic Union Producer: Justine Cortale Engineer: Michael Marinelli

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GE Humanizes Its Technology in 'What Matters' Campaign From BBDO

Focusing on the how, but also the why

David Gianatasio

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David Gianatasio