St. Jude spot poignant, but won't haunt you

Ads for children's hospitals are often soul-crushingly sad, except in Finland, where they're horror-movie creepy. This Hill, Holliday spot is neither. It promotes Chili's support of St. Jude's Children's Research Hospitals, and is based on a nice simple idea: Actual parents of St. Jude's cancer patients talk about how they're looking forward to moments in their kids' lives—their first speeding ticket, their first date—that parents typically dread. "They'd like nothing more than to be able to witness their children live a normal childhood," says Hill, Holliday's Steve Grskovic. "Even if that means borrowing the car and leaving it on empty." The spot directs viewers to Chili's Create a Pepper site, where they can donate. Via Osocio.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Previously on AdFreak:
Mental-health PSAs even creepier with dolls

Published on September 29, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Chili's, Health, Hill Holliday, Nudd, PSAs

Chili's: our meals are tastier than cardboard

Commercial directors know how difficult it can be to make food look appealing in ads. That's no problemo in Hill, Holliday's latest campaign for Chili's, which features some intentionally unappetizing visuals for the fictitious rival P.J. Bland's chain. Actually, the entrees are pretty tasty—to the eye, at least—with expertly sculpted cardboard substituting for meat and veggies. The baked potato with butter is especially fine. It's also refreshing to see Chili's stressing taste over low prices, because the whole the "value-sell" approach by advertisers has started to get out of hand. Though if P.J.'s prices are decent, I'd be tempted to give that T-bone a try. It doesn't look any worse than the lunches I make for myself. I thought steak was supposed to be grayish brown (with flecks of green)!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on April 14, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (5)
Filed under Chili's, Food and drink, Gianatasio, Hill Holliday, Restaurants

 
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