Creative Director’s Choice: Brownstein Group’s Meredith Schwinder on Walgreens’ ‘Battle Cry’
Creative Director’s Choice gives creative directors a chance to highlight the work they think is the best out in the ad world — the ads and campaigns they believe are making a difference.
Walgreens 'Battle Cry' ad
This week, Brownstein Group creative director, Meredith Schwinder, praises the ‘Battle Cry’ ad from Walgreens by Grey New York that addresses those battling cancer.
When I saw the latest campaign for Walgreens, I was captivated. (Yes, that’s right, I said Walgreens.) And not only because I liked the ad, but because I actually liked what it was selling.
Walgreens has launched a new program for people, specifically women, who are living with cancer. Now, we’ve all seen plenty of ads about cancer – the sad ones, the hopeful ones, the touching ones and the ones with lots of doctors and statistics. It’s terribly unfortunate that cancer is such a huge part of our world and has and will touch so many of us.
It’s not easy to talk about it in real life and it’s certainly not easy to talk about it in commercials. But what I love about this campaign is that it talks directly to people with cancer as people, instead of just as patients.
The program the campaign advertises offers up pharmacists with cancer expertise, but also specially trained beauty consultants – people who can help them look and feel more like themselves while they live with the side effects of treatment. The execution is inspiring and powerful. The portraiture is bold, but not shocking. The vibe is strong, but still warm. And the music choice, F E M A L E by Sampa the Great, is fun and empowering.
Cancer isn’t pretty, but that doesn’t mean that people living with it can’t be. And the line ‘Battle Beautifully’ sums this up so simply and, well, beautifully.
Meredith Schwinder is creative director at Philadelphia agency Brownstein Group.
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