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How the ad community made an NYC effort happen
AS JOHN OSBORN, director of integrated marketing for Omnicom Group's BBDO Worldwide, New York, tells it, the phone rang and movie director Barry Levinson was on the line.
"He said, `I've got two words for you: turkey, Pilgrim.' The next thing we knew, we were in Central Park with Billy Crystal in a turkey outfit and Robert De Niro dressed like a Pilgrim."
Sounds like a typical showbiz scheme: famous movie stars, bigtime Hollywood directors with crazy ideas and the city serving as a backdrop for yet another tableau, the kind that makes jaded passersby shake their heads and say, "Only in New York."
But this is one of the surprising sidebars to the collaboration that went into BBDO's production of a six-spot, pro bono campaign dubbed the New York Miracle (AA, Nov. 5). Intended to buoy the spirits of New Yorkers in a way no other post-Sept. n campaign has, it also seeks to create a sense of vitality and exuberance that the city hopes will give a holiday boost to its beleaguered tourism, retail, restaurant and entertainment industries.
The TV portion of the integrated campaign (there's also a Web component) is built around a dual concept: Everyone has a New York dream, and realizing it is part of the miracle of New York.
The story of how the campaign came together is also a miracle of sorts, considering the effort was pulled off by an all-star dream team of top creatives at BBDO, led by Phil Dusenberry and Ted Sann. Moreover, brand name directors such as Mr. Levinson and Joe Pytka signed on, as well as noted New York production and editing houses like Hungry Man.
`"The most creative people in the business said, "This is important, and we're going to do this.' And then...