The Frontline Workers Counseling Project, spearheaded by co-founders Elizabeth Rawson, MD, and Michael Levin, PsyD, is a coalition of more than 450 licensed mental health professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area who have joined forces to offer free counseling for frontline workers throughout the COVID-19 crisis. The extreme demands of the pandemic leave frontline workers at high risk for acute distress in the near term and for development of post-traumatic symptoms in the long term. The lack of personal protective equipment has caused frontline workers to face daily risks to their and their loved ones’ health.
TBWAChiatDay LA created this film which captures the real emotions that are part of frontline workers’ day-to-day lives–ranging from anger to frustration to fear, powerlessness and anxiety. But also part of the equation is the help they can receive from The Frontline Workers Counseling Project to deal with these emotions.
“For those of us not working on the front line during this pandemic, it can be hard to imagine what that must feel like–to knowingly put yourself in harm’s way, day in and day out, whether by choice or by necessity,” said Jeff O’Keefe, associate creative director, TBWAChiatDay LA. “When my close friend in San Francisco told me about a project he and some other therapists had just launched to give free mental health counseling to frontline workers, I asked how we could use our creative powers to help. We started with a new name and a logo, and just kept going from there.”
The Frontline Workers Counseling Project offers sessions to the broader group of essential and frontline workers including healthcare workers, essential government employees, staff of homeless and domestic violence shelters, childcare providers, early educators, postal workers , delivery drivers, public transportation, maintenance workers, police, fire and emergency workers, and more. The Frontline Workers Counseling Project, in partnership with creative agency TBWAChiatDay LA, has created a toolkit which includes flyers, outdoor signage, social posts, and email communications to quickly activate within organizations.
CreditsClient Frontline Workers Counseling Project Dr. Elizabeth Rawson, MD, MHS, Dr. Michael Levin, PsyD, Adam Cahan, volunteer with US Digital Response Agency TBWAChiatDay LA Renato Fernandez, chief creative officer; Bruno Regalo, head of art & design; Doug Menezes, creative director; Jeff O’Keefe, associate creative director/copywriter; Bert Marissen, sr. art director; Sara Kline, sr. designer; Janni Widerholm, social creative lead; Noel Espiritu, studio lead; Mack Gire, art director; Mari McMurray, copywriter; Gaia Elise Gallinaro, jr. art director; Jamie Wynn, jr. copywriter; Beca Dutra; Albert Kim, sr. connections director; Anh-Thu Le, director of content production; Renato Jabuka, film director; Dena Moore, exec producer; Andrew Serrato, sr. digital producer; Joshua Levion, associate producer. Production Partners TDE Group Ryan Girouard, technology director; Jenn Miller, director of experience design. Art/Photography Andrew Renneisen, Chris Keller, photographers. Music Johannes Hammers Mixing & Mastering CANJA Audio Culture
Top Spot of the Week: Samsung, BBH Singapore, Director Rhys Thomas Get Fit For A Surf Holiday
Samsung’s new global campaign from BBH Singapore, featuring Samsung Health and Galaxy AI, tells the story of a young professional couple who compete to get fit for a surf holiday.
Titled “A Samsung Health Story: Racing to Fiji,” this film taps into Gen Z’s wellness dilemma and the fact that they can often find health information overwhelming; in particular, BBH Singapore took inspiration from young people who reference their “quarter life crisis” on social media. This film tells the story of Stacey and Steve who decide to go surfing in Fiji, something they did five years ago but haven’t done since they started their jobs. However, there’s one problem: they need to get fitter first.
Featuring a range of Galaxy products powered by Galaxy AI, they rebuild their fitness to prepare for the trip, competing playfully to spur each other on. We see them comparing their Energy Scores (a new feature on the Samsung Health app), recording their runs and swims on their Samsung Galaxy Watches, trying and failing to get fit at work and on their commutes and striving to improve in the run up to the trip. When they get there, however, there’s a fun twist, and the film ends on a cliffhanger.
The ad is expected to be the first in a series, which will develop the characters and their “world” in future episodes. This longform (two-and-a-half-minute) version of the spot delves deeper into the storytelling, in a fresh approach for Samsung’s product campaigns, while the shorter edits focus on driving exposure to specific features.
BBH Singapore also leaned into the entertainment aspect of the spot; it was directed by comedic specialist Rhys Thomas at Stink Films, who has a major TV background. Best known for his work on Saturday Night... Read More