CC1: going beyond emotion
We take stock of the Covid-19 communication so far
The pandemic crisis has delivered a wave of similar communication briefs around the world.
However, it is perhaps in the difference of response that meaning lies.
Work that can lock on to cultural specifics is arguably more able to get under the skin of a community, get into the hearts and minds of people.
One example that does this with considerable ingenuity is work we received from Triad in Sri Lanka. Given the challenge of impressing social distancing behaviours onto difficult-to-reach people living in packed slums, Triad used religion as a powerful channel. They adapted their message to be incorporated in the chanting of Buddhist monks in the temples. The result went straight to the target audience and carried a compelling endorsement. It is a beautiful thing to listen to, even without comprehension.
Here is a part translation:
An ache in your throat, cough and a fever
could be corona, the virus we all fear.
So wait no longer to dial one three ninety
without spreading it from house to house, so defiantly
In little droplets we surely spread it,
every time we choose to say it.
But to live without the fear it brings
and free us all from the burden, so heavy it seems,
keep a metre between us, so we may be redeemed.
The endorsement of religion is strong stuff. But if a divine authority is not available, celebrities may be the next best thing. Oprah and other famous folk make it into the gentle-paced warm montage from TBWA for Apple, ‘Creativity goes on’.
Over in the UK, a similar technique of assembling a steady-paced roll of clips is uplifted by Idris Elba’s rich tones.
One unnerving coincidence is that both films manage to show the same violinist playing at the same window in the same street in London - at the corner of Chiltern Street and Dorset Street, to be precise. What’s the chance of that, given all the bits that could have been stuck together?
Of the two, Elba’s recital of ‘Don’t Quit’, by the 19th century American Quaker poet Jonathan Greenleaf Whittier, builds more emotional depth. It runs the risk of requiring the listener to like that kind of thing. Fortunately Elba makes the poetry an easy pill to swallow.
The recital enables the film to step up from the tendency to superficiality that almost inevitability results from using montage. This shorthand technique for film content is a powerful tool but has its limits, unless accompanied by a soundtrack that provides depth and continuity.
This problem is perhaps succinctly captured by a Covid-19 lockdown-related New Yorker cartoon by Shannon Wheeler. It depicts a woman standing by her apartment window, on the phone, saying: ‘We’re in the part of the movie that’s usually a montage.’
However, one montage that earns a double thumbs up from Cresta is ‘Thank You For Not Riding’ by W+K for Uber.
It seems beautifully filmed - but it is made from sourced footage, real people doing their real things while under lockdown. Uber, with W+K and production company Prettybird, put out a call for submissions and drew together great moments. It really points up the team effort of creative craft. From the concept to the finding, selecting, ordering of the shots, to the edit (at Exile) that delivers repeated moments of emotional connection at just the right varying of pace, through to the sound design (at Lime) that is crucial in sewing it together, there’s much to appreciate. And not a celebrity in sight.
Real Art’s mousetrap film for Ohio Department of Health was acclaimed by Adweek as being ‘the most effective so far’ for communicating the value of social distancing. It’s a nicely made spot.
As Adweek pointed out, the creative idea of how a chain reaction works can be traced back to at least a 1957 Disney film. It’s a dramatic visual demonstration. A day or two before the Ohio spot aired, popular science guy Steve Spangler had done his version of the same over in Denver. Ping pong balls and mousetraps might now be in short supply.
For us, it’s clever stuff, compelling viewing… but doesn’t beat having a full-throated monk tell you what to do.
On the subject of Covid-19 advice, it’s not all scary distancing and the like. Burger King has been stepping in with some helpful tips, keeping the brand out there around the world even though we can’t actually get our hands on an authentic Whopper. One of our favourites is a campaign from Buzzman in Paris that gives a recipe breakdown of how to achieve various great Burger King experiences in the comfort of your own kitchen. It turns out there’s more to a Whopper than you ever thought.
Even when social distancing is the subject, it can be done with wit. In Australia there’s always room for a bit of hearty humour as this little poster campaign from Showpony for the National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia demonstrates.
However, what can be done when you don’t have a kangaroo or koala bears on hand to measure out the space? We Are Social UK has solved that with a neat augmented reality lens for Snapchat users that applies AR proximity technology to advise how far away people need to be away to comply with the distancing guidelines.
Now do tell us what you are doing or what you are seeing that strikes out, big brand or small local initiative. Let’s recognise and learn from the best.
