The 30 best ads from Campaign Brief’s 30 years. 2000: Cancer Foundation ‘Nice People’
Campaign Brief WA turns 30 this month, so over the thirty days of June we’re looking back and choosing the best ad done in each of our 30 years.
Only one choice: Cancer Foundation ‘Nice People’, created by Marketforce’s Adam Barker & Lori Canalini and produced by Cyclops Films.
The TVC featured real hospital staff as the cast, each saying in a straightforward, almost matter-of-fact way the part they play in the treatment of cancer. It was a unique approach to the emotionally fraught subject.
Reviewing it for CB, Malcolm MacLean wrote: “The spot is beautifully crafted and they have skilfully balanced the amount of sting in the tail. When commercials are too confronting, it’s easy to switch off, but the cold hard realities of cancers are hard to ignore. Top marks and four stars.” [‘Great ad. Wish it was mine’].”
Should have given it 5 stars (‘Short walk and a handshake’). It went on to win a Silver Lion at Cannes – at that stage the highest award won by any Perth ad.
Skilful though it was, it still upset a lot people who had been close to a cancer sufferer when it went to air in late 2000. In an interview with us in 2001, Cancer Foundation CEO Mike Daube said the commercial would have been pulled after the first complaint if it had been done for the Health Dept (Daube had previously been a senior executive in the Department). However because the Cancer Foundation was an independent organisation they kept it running and in fact aired it again in 2001.
Easily the best ad of 2000 and one of Perth’s best ever.
2 Comments
Jeez, our creative output was good back then!
Why are all the best anti-smoking ads always written by chain smokers?