Airtasker shares a message of support for Australians in isolation with video conference TVC
Airtasker has sent a message of support to Australians at home with a TVC from real ‘taskers’ sharing their own ideas for staying positive and connected.
Tim Fung, Airtasker co-founder and CEO, said it was important to highlight people’s resilience.
“Our Taskers continue to inspire us, not just by how they’re ‘getting on with it’ but also by how they’ve used their unique skills to adapt to the current situation. COVID-19 has had an impact on every individual – but it’s wonderful to see how resilient people are and how they adapt and grow during these difficult times,” Fung said.
The TVC, created by Two Mad Cowboys, ends with the message “Together, we will bounce back stronger.”
Sarah May, brand lead at Airtasker, said: “It was important for us to check in with our community over this time. When we asked about their experiences over the last weeks, we heard some powerful stories of hope and optimism we thought it would be awesome to share with Australia. We toyed around with shooting the ad using a skeleton crew at a distance but pretty quickly realised that it wasn’t going to work under current social distancing rules. So, we decided to shoot it all using video conferencing from our Taskers’ homes, with all the realities of kids, dogs and housemate walk-ins that make it human.
“There are a couple of categories of TVCs emerging through COVID-19 challenges: stock footage with text overlays and presenters sending messages of hope. Our Taskers represent the fabric of Australia and are raw, unscripted and uplifting, sharing their own messages of resolve to inspire others.”
Two Mad Cowboys’ Matt Sterne described the process of directing a TVC via video conference.
“Directing a TVC via a video conference was an unusual experience with its own unique challenges to get your head around. There’s nothing like that authentic eye contact and body language you get on set and when you strip that away, you can lose that human connection – a sign of the times we can all relate to,” Sterne explained.
“Despite this, it was a laid back and down to earth glimpse into home life with Taskers that all have that entrepreneurial spirit and enthusiasm for getting on with life. Only one line was scripted, the rest was off the cuff, complete with the babies, dogs and cats that for once were welcomed to do whatever they wanted.
Henry Richardson, from the production company Painted Black, added: “All projects have their own unplanned issues, on this occasion the system we were using to capture our Taskers cancelled their HD functionality hours before filming due to excessive capacity. After testing a few alternatives, we found BlueJeans video conferencing to be able to record and direct the taskers in their own homes, across the country, in real-time.”
The TVC will run across the Seven Network on free to air TV and its BVOD service 7Plus. It will also appear on Airtasker’s social channels.
Credits
Client: Sarah May, Brand Lead Airtasker
Creative Partner: Matt Sterne, Two Mad Cowboys
Producer: Henry Richardson, Painted Black
