People are hungry.
As the country grapples with the calamitous economic fallout from COVID-19, an estimated 54 million people, including children, are turning to Feeding America’s network of food banks for help.
In partnership with the Ad Council, Colle McVoy created a series of PSAs that depicts the growing need to feed millions and inspire people to donate to Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund.
The Minneapolis ad agency partnered with Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Ciara to create a powerful message of hope and unity that evokes the strong American spirit to help others.
In 2018, around 11% of U.S. households reported they were food insecure – meaning they were without reliable access to a sufficient amount of quality food. As of April 2020, the percentage of households deemed food insecure was estimated between 22-38%.
An Issue Wrapped In Shame
No one wants to admit that they’re hungry, or that they can’t feed their family. It is hard enough to admit that you have no or too little work. It’s hard because we tend to associate a person’s value with their ability to earn.
Here is a spot from Feeding Hunger from two years ago, that is as timely today as any other day. It shows the lengths a mom goes to feed her children.
Food insecurity is also emotional, and the source of a significant amount of familial stress. For both adults and children, the fear associated with not knowing where meals will come from takes a toll on mental health. This includes increased reports of depressions, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.
Here’s another story from Feeding America about a military man who struggles to keep his family fed.
Taken in totality, the three commercials are heartbreaking reminders of just how steep and greasy the stairway to success is for millions of Americans. It’s all so sad, especially when you consider how much food we waste. The USDA says that In the United States, food waste is estimated at between 30-40 percent of the food supply. Like money, our food goes to waste because we don’t know how to distribute it properly.
With all the need for reinvention that surrounds business today, particularly the advertising business, I’d like to suggest a new emphasis on creative thinking that helps to solve structural and operational problems for clients. Yes, it’s mot likely outside of the current scope of work. So are many things of value that get brought into the world by artists and inventors and by groups of practical idealists.
Ads that express the problem and offer a solution—like the three ads above—are important and needed.
So is fixing the problem in the first place.
