We’ve been sifting through our posts for a few ‘must-reads’ from 2016. Here’s one that is mostly in praise of someone’s else’s excellent work. Being the Agitators that we are, we’ll have plenty of advice and opinion on offer in 2017. But for now, to close out 2016, we simply urge you in the year ahead: Be Brave!

Would You Approve This Campaign?

PROBLEM:  Overall there are currently 120,000 men, women and children waiting for an organ donation, and roughly 8,000 of those people, about 22 per day, die each year because they won’t receive the organs they need in time.

Donate Life America, a nonprofit charged with developing and promoting organ donor education programs designed to motivate Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors, has seen a drop-off in the number of millennial donors. By signing up, one millennial could save as many as 50 lives.

SOLUTION: Turn to The Martin Agency, noted for, among other great work their edgy campaigns for GEICO, the insurance company. And, of course the GEICO gecko.

With music by Coldplay, acting by Thomas Jane and voice over by Will Arnett, directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon have produced a campaign titled “The World’s Biggest Asshole”.

Watch this cheeky, somewhat crude, and controversial spot, which I think is strategically brilliant and which as of this posting has been viewed by 932,000 + folks.

Will Burns, CEO of Ideasicle, writing in Forbes, breaks down the key points of this project as follows:

“What I love most about this film is the strategy. By exaggerating how bad a person can be in life, yet still be considered a hero by donating organs, Donate Life dramatically magnifies the appeal of organ donation.

“It’s this contrast between Coleman Sweeney’s “asshole-ness” and his supremely kind act of donating his organs that makes the film so compelling and watchable.

“And let’s admit it. There’s a little Coleman Sweeney in all of us, right?

“Consider Millennials. They’re out of school, they’re finally free, they’re having fun, sometimes too much fun, relationships, regrets, craziness, learning, cheating, growing, everything. We’ve all been there.

“We have all made mistakes, sinned, or done thoughtless and stupid things we regret. And it’s in that emotional empathy that this film swirls. If ‘the world’s biggest asshole’ can be redeemed by donating his organs, then just imagine my redemption, being only some small percent of the ‘asshole’ Coleman Sweeney was.

“The film’s final super says, ‘Even an asshole can save a life’. But to me the subtext is, ‘Even an asshole can be saved (if he donates his organs)’.”

For Agitator readers, this question: Would you have approved this campaign?

I can just imagine the countless meetings, worries about angry contributors, fears of adverse press response, an angry board, you name it.

This project took lots and lots of work and lots and lots of courage. Courage all too rare in our world.

What would you have done?

Roger

P.S. Will Burns, in his Forbes piece says, “…the real lesson here for Chief Marketing Officers is this: if the creative idea is on strategy, then by god approve it no matter how uncomfortable it makes you feel.”

P.P.S. A shout-out to Agitator reader Pam Grow for alerting us to this campaign.  And an Agitator Raise to the courageous folks at Donate Life America, The Martin Agency and the talented directors, actor and voice over who made the campaign possible.