I’ve mentioned that the path to my advertising career started at a young age, and that seeing Ads I Wish I’d Made played a part in keeping me on that path. It’s a thing that’s still ongoing — ads that make me want to be a better creative. Many of those ads are big challenges that creatives manage to tackle with great creativity, and I can think of few challenges greater (although I can definitely think of some right now) than making a deadly global pandemic just a little bit less depressing.
Now, let’s be clear: We are by no means out of the woods yet, and we definitely aren’t ready for jokey COVID-19 ads. (Comedy = Tragedy + Time, and y’all, we’ve barely passed the four-month mark., and also, INFECTIONS ARE GOING UP AND NOT DOWN, Y’ALL. THIS IS NOT FUNNY). But the human spirit can’t sit in solemn darkness forever, and I think there are ways to bring in light without making light of the pandemic itself. Not every ad has to start with solemn pianos.
Case in point: all of these.
Make Covid Lonely (Donne/Brown/Dagg)
Possibly my favorite part of these posts is making my own rules and then breaking them, so I’m going to get this one out right up front: There is piano. But this integrated campaign from a number of smart creatives gets a pass on the basis that it’s used for comic and not sentimental effect, and also on the basis that I get to say so, so suck it.
My only concern about the ad is that COVID-19 looks so cuddly. I mean, it’s like those Honker muppets except with horns all over their head and you just want to hug it and pet it and oh dear, I’ve just made a terrible mistake.
Farmers Insurance, “Back-ish” (RPA, USA)
Because I always love a good ad grenade, here are a couple of short ads for Farmers Insurance that give me a chuckle. (Only the first two. The third one does get disqualified for piano because, again, I get to.)
“COVID-19 Brainstorm” (Evan Silver)
I mean…
Bud Light, “Stay at Home Humans of Genius”
The first go-round with this campaign was silly and verging on hokey and I just loved it. I mean, give me a funny concept and then go too far with it, and I’m on board. (Yes, I’m yet to completely tire of Allstate’s “Mayhem” campaign. Don’t @ me.) So naturally, this revival of Bud Light’s “Real Men of Genius” campaign made it on my list.
Honorable mentions
NYC Footy, “#RespectTheDistance”
And I don’t even know anything about… footy? Whatever.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Jed Foundation, “Whatever Gets You Talking” (Droga5)
No, for real, suicide prevention.
Hotels.com, “Hotels.com: Social Distancing”
Honestly, I wasn’t nuts about this campaign when it first came out, and I don’t know at which point my mind was changed, but this social-distancing ad gives me a chuckle.
The takeaway
The takeaway here is that INFECTIONS ARE GOING UP AND NOT DOWN, Y’ALL, SO STAY THE EFF HOME AND WEAR A MASK IF YOU HAVE TO GO OUT. IT’S NOT FUN, BUT PANDEMICS ALSO ARE NOT FUN.
Wait, no, the takeaway is that it isn’t a requirement to be dour and dire in all our communications. We just have to be respectful. And if you hit that balance of respectful and funny, you might make it into the next round of Ads I Wish I’d Made.
Also, please wear a mask. Seriously, it’s the least you can do, and it’s so important.
It’s funny because it’s true.