In a new film created by BBH, London's St John Ambulance has hired an enviable roll call of comedians and veteran actors to voice characters in an animated short that bears more than a passing resemblance to the classic Disney film, Toy Story. The “Chokeables” ad, which was animated by Si Atkinson and Ad Townley from Academy Films, serves to teach people how to save the life of a choking baby, and stars David Mitchell as a heavily chewed pen lid, David Walliams as a fairytale princess, Johnny Vegas as a jelly baby, and John Hurt as a peanut (really). These are, of course, all objects that an infant could potentially choke on, and the ad transforms these objects into amusing characters who have a very serious message.
The spot stars David Mitchell as a heavily chewed pen lid, David Walliams as a fairytale princess, Johnny Vegas as a jelly baby, and John Hurt as a peanut
It's a marked departure from the charity's earlier spots, most of which utilised a far harder-hitting tone, but the new ad's soft nature and all-star cast means that it's more likely to be shared online, and thus reach as many people and save as many lives as possible. The clip (below) has Walliams' princess displaying the correct technique for saving a choking baby on Vegas' jelly baby (who has literally turned blue), who then coughs out the peanut voiced by Hurt. At just 40 seconds it's a concise and entertaining clip that gets it's message across without sounding preachy or sensationalist.
St John Ambulance – The Chokeables
The BBH campaign will be underpinned with social media, digital video, display advertising and PPC (the latter run by Reprise Digital), and the charity has also formed a partnership with Bounty, a website offering advice to new and expectant parents. St John's in-house PR team, meanwhile, will be attempting to secure celebrity social media support for the campaign, setting out a detailed roadmap of activity, and taking care of new online assets. They have also released new online resources, including instructional videos.
The BBH campaign will be underpinned with social media, digital video, display advertising and PPC, and the charity has also formed a partnership with Bounty
The campaign launched officially over the weekend, with the spot hitting national TV yesterday during Coronation Street on ITV. It will run until the end of March, and is targeted primarily at housewives and grandparents. The campaign was developed following a study that found 79% of parents wouldn't know how to save their baby from choking, a shocking figure considering it was a major fear of 53% of those surveyed. Steve Conway, director of brand marketing, communications and fundraising for St John's, said the campaign “Marks a new stage in St John Ambulance’s approach.” He says that, whilst their earlier, “Harder hitting campaigns were useful at getting people to think seriously about first aid,” now they want to educate people directly, and he hopes parents share the film and use the website's valuable resources.
