press releases
CONTRAST CREATIVE PRODUCES AWARD WINNING STROKE PSA
05.20.11
Cary, NC— Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America. It strikes fast. Sudden numbness, confusion, trouble speaking, dizziness and severe headache are just some of a stroke’s warning signs. Quick action is crucial to lowering the risk of long-term disability and even death. It’s this important message that a new television commercial conceived and produced by Contrast Creative, a Cary communications firm, is aiming to share.
The 30-second public service announcement (PSA) spot, entitled “Uninvited,” is airing in parts of North Carolina now during National Stroke Awareness Month. The commercial is the centerpiece of a broad public awareness campaign by The Justice-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force and the North Carolina Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention (HDSP) Program.
“Heart disease and stroke are two of the largest threats to the health and wellness of North Carolinians and account for the greatest portion of health care costs to the state,” says Anita Holmes, JD, MPH, HDSP branch head and executive director of the task force. “But these conditions are largely preventable. It is our job to raise awareness.”
“The Contrast Creative team began by developing a wide range of concepts and, ultimately, submitted three scripted storyboards to our clients,” says Kathleen McDonald, VP and Creative Director at Contrast Creative. The storyboards were reviewed by five different focus groups. Each group was tasked with evaluating all three concepts and offering their opinion about which one they believed would have the greatest impact on viewers. “In the end, they chose ‘Uninvited,’” adds McDonald.
Some focus group members deemed the “Uninvited” concept “intriguing” and “catchy.” Filmed at Cary farmhouse built in the 1920s, the spot opens with a sense of mystery and builds on the premise that a stroke arrives uninvited, but not without warning. “The commercial shares pertinent information related to stroke such as the signs and symptoms,” says Contrast Creative President Tim Travitz, who directed the TV commercial. “It encourages viewers to call 911 fast and lets them see creatively how the effects of a stroke may be reversed if a person gets medical care quickly.”
Instead of presenting a person seemingly having a stroke on camera, the spot relies on strong imagery such as a cup of coffee spilling and later reversing. “We spilled entire pots of coffee twenty or more times to make the perfect puddle and drip sequence,” says McDonald.
“Uninvited” is gaining positive feedback not just from consumers, but also from prestigious international advertising and marketing organizations. So far, the spot has been awarded a bronze 2011 international Summit Creative Award in the PSA television category and a gold Hermes Creative Award in the advertising/television PSA category. The Hermes is an international award that is administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.
To view the commercial, visit www.contrastcreative.com.