The Resonsibility Project from Liberty Mutual is a new campaign from Hill Holiday that rests on the shoulders of a fictional but believable family that’s faced with tough times and even tougher decisions.
Stuart Elliott says the commercials–directed by the film director Harmony Korine–present fraught moments in the lives of the Marlowes.
Paul G. Alexander, senior vice president and manager for communication services at Liberty Mutual in Boston says, “we’re trying to depict a real family, not a stylized one, and the real issues families are facing.”
Elliott notes:
Make-believe families in campaigns that unfold episodically have long been popular on Madison Avenue. The device, which echoes long-running series like “One Man’s Family,” “General Hospital” and “Dallas,” is meant to soften a sales pitch by looking like programming rather than advertising.
What’s interesting to me about this is I’m a big advocate of “Content instead of Advertising.” Yet, this is a strong argument for “Content as Advertising.” Either way, it’s a needle mover for the business of branded storytelling.
