Be Your Own Hero Prediabetes Prevention | Clapboard Ad Archive

Be Your Own Hero

Description

In November 2023, the Ad Council launched an impactful public service campaign titled Be Your Own Hero, designed to raise awareness about prediabetes and promote early detection to prevent type 2 diabetes. This action-packed :60 television spot, created by the collaboration between Subject Matter + Kivvit, Working Stiff Films, and Whitehouse Post, delivers a compelling narrative that blends elements of reality and imagination to engage and empower viewers. Directed by Matt Pittroff, known for his comedic vision, the film artfully balances humor with serious health messaging amid stunning visuals of old growth forests and intricately designed sets, making the health message both memorable and accessible. The campaign invites audiences to take control of their health by visiting DoIHavePrediabetes.org to complete a brief, one-minute risk test, emphasizing that more than one in three American adults have prediabetes with 81 percent unaware of their condition. By challenging preconceptions and inspiring proactive health measures, Be Your Own Hero motivates individuals to become advocates for their own well-being and prevent the progression to type 2 diabetes. This creative approach transforms a critical public health message into an adventurous journey, making it not only informative but also emotionally resonant and visually captivating, reflecting the combined expertise and dedication of all agencies involved to effect positive change in public health outcomes.

Credits

Client

Ad Council, CDC/NACDD

Agency

Subject Matter + Kivvit

Account Management

Stephanie Creel, Associate Director of Policy, Partnerships & Strategic Communications, Lourdes Martinez, Senior Communication Lead, Heather Williams, Health Communication Specialist, John Patton, VP, Center for Innovation & Partnerships, Heidi Arthur, Chief Campaign Development Officer, Hannah Strashun, Group Campaign Director, Brandi Piper, Campaign Director, Rebecca Ross, Assistant Campaign Manager, Beth Liss, Sr. Director, Accounts, Anna Poulson, Associate, Account Leadership

Chief Creative Officer

Kevin Richards, Chief Creative Officer

Creative Director

Sarah Kennedy Hillmann, VP, Group Creative Director, Julie Estrella, Creative Director

Producer

Liz Norton, VP, Executive Producer, Tiffany Kalmar, Sr. Director, Video, Steve Blair, Brenna Mathers, Kristin Angeletti, Senior Executive Producer, Kristen MacDonald, Producer, Gretchen Praeger, Laurie Adrianopoli, Executive Producer Color, Janel Naumann, Heidi Green

Project Management

Liz Doherty, Senior Director, Project Management

Production House

Matt Pittroff, Director

Cinematographer

Ricardo Diaz, Director of Photography

Campaign Proposition

The “Be Your Own Hero” campaign by the Ad Council, in partnership with the CDC, addresses the critical public health issue of undiagnosed prediabetes affecting over one-third of American adults. The core brand proposition centers on empowerment through awareness and early action: encouraging individuals to recognize their risk and take ownership of their health by completing a brief risk test at DoIHavePrediabetes.org. This positions the campaign as a call to personal responsibility, underscoring the message that early detection can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. The campaign’s market strategy leverages a multidimensional narrative approach to engage viewers both emotionally and intellectually. By combining action-packed, cinematic visuals with a nuanced balance of humor and gravity, the :60 spot disrupts typical public service announcements, making the message more memorable and relatable. Creative director Matt Pittroff integrates striking imagery of natural landscapes and elaborate sets to evoke a sense of adventure and urgency, framing health awareness as an individual journey and heroic act. The campaign implicitly targets adults at risk for prediabetes—many of whom remain unaware of their condition—by prompting self-assessment through an accessible online tool. This insight into widespread lack of awareness drives the emphasis on personal engagement rather than passive reception of health information. Overall, the campaign uses storytelling and immersive visuals not only to inform but to motivate proactive behavior, aiming to shift perceptions and catalyze early intervention.

Creative Device

FORMAT#3 SYMBOLIZE THE PROBLEM — Uses symbols or analogies to represent the problem instead of showing it literally. This campaign fits FORMAT#3 because it turns an action-packed, cinematic quicksand escape into a metaphor for the health threat of undetected prediabetes. Instead of presenting literal health risk scenarios, the creative uses the quicksand peril as an engaging analogy, symbolizing how prediabetes can trap people without their awareness unless they act proactively. This blend of adventure and health-message empowers viewers to “be their own hero”—urging them to escape danger by taking the risk test. The narrative cues and campaign summary clarify that symbolism (not direct demonstration or straightforward problem/solution plotting) is the primary device. ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats