Let’s face it: advertising isn’t art. It can be artful. It can include elements of art. But it should never be art for art’s sake; if advertising doesn’t serve a larger purpose, push toward a more defined goal, it’s a waste of money. (We’ve always been amused by creative people who treat their ads like masterpieces. There’s a lot to be said for fighting for an idea or an execution because you think it’s right. But throwing a fit because the client wants to ruin your beautiful ad is silly and counterproductive.)
Advertising isn’t art. But sometimes, on rare occasions, those of us who create ads for a living get the opportunity to work on something transcendent: a beautiful, meaningful piece of work for a great client.
We created the long-from TV spots here with our partners at the St. Claire Group and Nogginwerks for our client St.Vincent Health. The spots dramatize St.Vincent’s commitment to excellence in heart care and in fighting cancer. But they also do something more: they connect, on a deeply emotional level, with our hopes and our dreams, our passions and our fears–our mortality and our humanity. They are ostensibly about heart care and cancer care. But they are really about The Spirit of Caring that has set St.Vincent apart from every other health system in the region for 130 years.
Advertising isn’t art, and sometimes artists look down their noses at advertising as something tainted, something less than art. But that’s just wrong. Advertising is never less than art–it’s just different. The comparison is unfair.
Unless you want to compare these spots. Because these are as artful as any advertising we’ve ever done. Great client. Great partners. Great work. Hope you like them.