These are people who spend on average 11 hours a day sitting down, watching TV. Many of the COPD ads they’re served show unrealistic portrayals of life with COPD. Our work aims to show them that we understand how hard COPD can be, and encourage them to make a stand.

The COPD category is awash not with realism but the polished veneer of idealism. To truly reach our audience and communicate “we get you; we’re here for you,” we had to show it. It all comes down to authenticity.

Authenticity is nothing without art direction. The 40-year-old ashtray symbolizing decades of struggle and strife. The tattered magazines on the coffee table. The exact make and model of coffee table – the one your aunt and uncle probably had. The color palette, ashen and dull and stained by years of smoke. Every aspect had to look, feel and smell authentic.

The smallest details were curated to create psychological connections – touchstones of the familiar that transform a TV screen into a mirror, reflecting our audience’s lives back to them, saying “This is you.” And in that reflection…hope.