Paid Leave for All is non-profit organization that leverages policy expertise and research, partnerships and grassroots memberships in the field, and storytellers and communications tools to drive a win and enact a comprehensive and inclusive federal paid family and medical leave program with bipartisan support by 2023. They came to us to create a 60-second web ad that would help spread the word about their work leading up to the election, drive turnout, and eventually help pass paid family and medical leave. The hope was that it would use emotion, be buzzy, and not break the bank.
We wanted to think a bit outside the box and do something that wasn’t simply driven by a paid narrator. And we knew in order to keep costs down that we couldn’t do a shoot. So, we came up with the idea to use home video that Paid Leave for All provided us from their grassroots supporters of real human moments that people may need to leave work for. Having a child, taking care of an elderly parent, taking care of one’s self. We combed through a library of video sent to us and cut together something that felt real, relatable, diverse and moving. And the creative thread we used to tie it all together was from a committee hearing on Paid Leave.
Having watched some videos to learn more about Paid Leave, and the legislation our client is working to pass, our creatives stumbled upon a hearing in which Congressman John Lewis gave an impassioned endorsement of paid family and medical leave. Lewis is a mountain in our nation’s history, and with his passing this year, we thought it gave his words even more relevance and raw emotional power. We decided using Congressman Lewis’ voice as narration would be the perfect way bring the concept together.
The digital ad was a major success after being targeted heavily towards Capitol Hill staffers and lawmakers. The feedback the client received from its partner organizations, and supports was extremely positive. The ad was shared on twitter by Secretary Hillary Clinton, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Eric Swalwell, Rep. Joaquin Castro, Rep. Haley Stevens, Christine Pelosi, Bradley Whitford, Debra Messing, Jane Lynch, Alyssa Milano, Mark Acevedo, Billy Baldwin, Meena Harris, Chris Lu, and Tin Tchen among many other.
And most importantly, President Biden has unveiled, as part of his Covid-19 relief plan, an extension of emergency paid family and medical leave until September 30th. An Biden supports passing legislation that will provide 12 weeks of paid leave for all workers for their own or a family member’s serious health condition. There is still work to be done in passing this vital life-saving legislation, and we are excited to be working with Paid Leave for All, to help make that a reality.
