Will pleading puppy dog eyes melt the hearts of young uninsured Americans? A partnership between Enroll America, a national health-care advocacy group, and the Ad Council hopes so.
The partnership released a series of videos featuring a choir of singing and health-care-happy pets. One features a cat spelling out “health insurance" with yarn. A colorful bird clicks on health-care links. A hamster on a wheel powers a scrolling message that reads "C'mon you can do it!" A pug raps about the benefits of enrolling.
“Now you can still get covered and buy me treats,” sings a bulldog in a deep baritone.
According to the Ad Council, young women are the target of the ad because they are more likely than men to do research, enroll, encourage others, and spread the word about health-care exchanges.
“With the significant lack of awareness about the new insurance options available to Americans, there is a great need for a national public education campaign,” says Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council in a press release “In taking the perspective of pets talking to people, the creative becomes memorable and engaging...."
As of early March, the video featuring the pet chorus garnered more than 62,000 views – not exactly going viral.