Three years into COVID-19, very few people care to think about it, no less get a needle stick in the arm for the latest version of the vaccine. Yet serious cases of COVID still send people to the hospital, and cause deaths. So I thought taking a "spoonful of sugar" approach -- a light tone and a jingle -- would cause people to pay attention and consider going to their pharmacy for the latest vaccine.

The concept is "The Great Indoors," reminding people that being in close quarters in Fall leads to more exposure to illness. Copy and lyrics by yours truly. Art direction by Slade Seaholm. Editorial by Craig Mikes. Music composed by Dan Radlauer. 

In addition to posting the video to Instagram, we also are creating static social posts, crafted with a nod to the style of mid-20th century travel posters advertising The Great Outdoors (national parks, etc). Here we're invited to share the discomfort of a rider who's stuck in a crowded subway.

CAPTION COPY: People are going to the movies again—that's reason to applaud! Just a friendly reminder to take a simple step to protect yourself from COVID and prevent its spread. Go to your nearby pharmacy for the latest shot, then get to the theater for the latest show!

Caption copy: Nothing takes away an appetite like the thought of catching a bad case of COVID. Prepare yourself for the crowds by getting the latest vaccine. Enjoy!

In the wake of the 2008 recession, I freelanced for a few years "in between" staff jobs. I worked for Raleigh-area agencies, had some of my own clients, and also set up a school called simply The Portfolio Shop. My classes attracted undergrads at the college down the street, UNC Chapel Hill; the kinds of students who were interested in practical education. I had a lot of fun, got great reviews. And the old saying was true; I learned just as much as I taught. OOH posters for the school:

CLIENT: Novartis Pharmaceuticals
GOAL: Increase number of patient tests for Iron Overload, a potentially life-threatening condition that is a by-product of chronic blood transfusions. 
CHALLENGES: Many recipients of these transfusions are sickle cell disease (SCD) patients, very often young children or teens. These patients and their caregivers are naturally focused on their primary disease, making sure they get a transfusion when a pain crisis occurs from the SCD. Hence they have little awareness of Iron Overload, a secondary but potentially fatal condition.
WHY FATAL?  Iron is deposited permanently in the body with each transfusion. After 10 transfusions, this excess iron can damage internal organs and become fatal. EXJADE is the Novartis drug which, taken orally with juice, binds with the excess iron and flushes it out in urine. A positive test typically leads to prescription of EXJADE.

 SOLUTION:

This bold, text-based typographical solution grabbed the attention and interest of caregivers visiting transfusion clinics. Its simple and elegant melding of the number 10 within the word "transfusion" led to a 10% increase in sign-ups for Be Transfusion Smart, the patient support program, and a similar increase in the number of blood tests given for Iron Overload.

Challenge: Southern California is car capital of the U.S., an important market for Jiffy Lube. But while oil changes are important, it's never top-of-mind, and many people doubt Jiffy Lube's expertise.
Strategy: Reach people where they live: in their cars, surrounded by outdoor billboards and radio spots that entertained as well as informed.
Result: Our campaigns consistently led to increased car counts whenever our radio was on the air, and in years where the brand had flat sales around the U.S., the LA Jiffy Lube market rose an average of 10% higher.
The "Street Smart" campaign touted the expertise of Jiffy Lube. 

Radio celebrated the everyday heroes of L.A.... the drivers who survive the traffic, relying on Jiffy Lube to help them stay on the road.

This campaign of outdoor and radio served as a gentle reminder of the importance of changing the oil.

Problem: In a "normal" year, one out of every five adults in the U.S. experiences some form of mental illness. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a great deal more stress and anxiety for Americans. About 80% of visits to a doctor are for stress-related ailments and complaints. Yet, seeking help is often stigmatized. 
Solution: This campaign (launched Nov. 2019 before COVID appeared in the US) is meant to help people show themselves love, and go and get some help. A creative challenge was to make the message work within the Blue Cross "Live Fearless" campaign, because people in emotional distress are unlikely to be feeling bold, confident, or 'fearless.' The solution was to express a new meaning to fearless: to ask for help. The video above is for YouTube pre-roll, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Here's a static post:

:30 livestream commercial on Pandora, with accompanying static banner below:

All of the creative clicks through to a website about how to seek out help and talk to your doctor about your concerns.

I'm proud to be part of the team that created the 2017 online video campaign entitled "You Got It." For our efforts we were presented with a national Aster award recognizing excellence in healthcare marketing.
    BACKGROUND: The health care system is complicated; that's not big news to anyone. My assignment was to show & tell what the company is doing to make things easier for its members, and thereby raise positive brand awareness of Blue Cross NC. This campaign is for Blue Connect, their suite of online tools.
    Here's a sample of video, social ads, banners, and radio spots in this integrated campaign.
    RESULTS: The largest amount of audience engagement of any campaign to date, measured in click-throughs, time on site, and social sharing.

A handful of the web banners:

Facebook posts:

"Facts" :30 Radio spot

I didn't start out in advertising. After acting in college I banged around New York City as part of an improv comedy group called The Fresh Air Cab Company.* Being onstage in some dingy nightclub, armed with nothing but our bare wits and passion for play, was amazingly fun. When it worked it was magic. There was (pretty much) nothing better!

After awhile, I looked for a way to use my gift for making stuff up for a slightly more regular paycheck. Advertising fit the bill. Banging around in a conference room with other fringe human beings, making up s&^@, throwing pencils into the ceiling tiles like Tom Hanks in "Nothing In Common," well it was like improv theatre all over again, only with health insurance.

I haven't looked back. And what's kind of cool about this era of consumer-driven social marketing we're living in, is that it's becoming more and more like doing improv. You put a message out there, and messages come back from the audience! What's more, the brands that are willing to improvise — "play along and play nice" with consumers — are winning in the marketplace.

That's my story, and I'm sticking with it.  If you'd like to look deeper, my resume is on LinkedIn.

What's your story? I can help you uncover it, and share it with customers and potential fans. Let's have a conversation!

*NYC, back in the day. Peter Freedman, Betsy Beers, Michael Berliner, Winnie Boone.