The American Red Cross and BBDO New York have combined to create “a surreal” and playful public service announcement about fire safety, with human-sized dolls the stars of the commercial.
In the United States, seven lives are lost to home fires every day, representing a dark figure on deaths that is higher than all natural disasters “combined”, according to the American Red Cross.
To change these statistics, the non-profit is launching ‘The Great Escape’, a PSA aimed at educating families on home fire safety.
Headlined by an online commercial, the PSA aims to prepare families with two simple steps: practicing a two-minute fire drill and testing smoke alarms monthly.
To bring this message to life, the work—directed by Noam Murro and created in partnership with BBDO New York—features a somewhat surreal universe where toys have come alive.
The cast of characters that includes a massive teddy bear and a troupe of three other toys are practicing a timely evacuation from their dollhouse, in a scene we later realise is a figment of a child’s imagination.
It represents a creative departure for the non-profit, which typically invokes a more serious or deep tone in its work, and will run online with social and digital executions.
These digital executions include GIFs and short-form TikTok videos, including a duet race people can participate in to see if they can get out of their house faster than the character.
Credits for the campaign are as follows:
Client: American Red Cross
Chief marketing and communications officer: Rosemary McGillan
VP, marketing strategy and creative services: Selma Bouhl
Senior director, social engagement: Megan Weiler
Director, brand marketing and advertising: Donna Messersmith
Director, brand marketing: Chris Andrews
Creative agency: BBDO New York, USA
Global chief creative officer: David Lubars
SVP, creative director: Roberto Danino
SVP, creative director: Anne Lac
SVP, creative director: Gary Du Toit
SVP, creative director: Lance Vining
Copywriter (social): Ryan Sheehy
Copywriter (social): Emma Wren
Art director (social): Tamara Yakov
SVP, group executive producer: Alex Gianni
Associate producer: Jason Guzman
Music producer: Julia Millison
Business affairs manager: Kathleen Bannon
Account manager: Sam Henderson
Senior strategic planner: Alexandra Britt
Production company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Noam Murro
Partner/managing director: Shawn Lacy
Executive producer: Andrew Travelstead
Producer: Emily Skinner
Head of production: Sean Moody
Director of photography: Eric Schmidt
Production designer: Brock Houghton
Production supervisor: Jennifer Berry
Editorial: Rock Paper Scissors East
Managing director: Eve Kornblum
Producer: Lisa Barnable
Editor: Paul Hardcastle
Assistant editor: Tom Mika
Flame producer: Barbara Kontarovich
Flame artist: Edward Reina
Colour: Primary
Colourist: Daniel DeVue
Executive producer: Thatcher Peterson
Producer: Jenny Bright
Mix: Heard City
Mixer: Tom Morris
Producer: Andi Lewis
Executive producer: Sasha Awn, Jackie James
Managing director: Gloria Pitagorsky
Music: Human
Composer: John Christopher Barnes
Creative lead: Morgan Visconti
Executive producer: James Dean Wells
Featured image source: YouTube/American Red Cross
