When the American Heart Association (AHA) approached Saturn Lounge with the desire to create a video that elevated awareness on the AHA’s scope of work in the community and encouraged viewers to help shape policies that would expand accessibility to healthy food, there were many thoughts about the way the video could take shape. For example, testimonials were considered as a method of telling the story because they are incredibly relatable
But as Eric Olson, Saturn Creative Director, learned more about the information the group wanted to convey in the video, he started to consider a different approach. “When I learned that we wanted to include facts and figures in the video, I started favoring an approach that used animation,” Eric said. “When you can animate numbers and facts, you are showing rather than telling,” he said. “Studies show that if you can animate information, your message has a much better chance of landing.”
Fortunately, the American Heart Association was very open to using animation because in addition to making facts and figures more approachable, illustrating the video made its message more digestible. The point of the video was not only to show viewers how factors like your socioeconomic status, education, and physical environment can impact your health, but also to inspire them to join the AHA, to work alongside them as they push to shape and change public policies and systems that support health for everyone.
To execute the video, Saturn illustrated colorful, upbeat images that told the story of one Milwaukee woman, Tanya, and depicted how social determinants of health have impacted her life. We also created a fun font to help bring the story life. The result was an entertaining video that told a story and missionized the work of the American Heart Association.
So how successful was the project? According to Stacy Amstadt, Communications Director for the American Heart Association, the video has been very well received. “We were thrilled with the final video; it was everything that we had envisioned and more! This video has helped us to tell the story of the work that we do, in a new and compelling way, and it has brought our mission to life!”