Hasta La Creative!

The holidays are over, and now the hard part begins for nonprofits and charity organizations in need of volunteers. In a New Year’s push, State Farm makes the case that January ushers in a difficult time for such organizations, which see a dramatic drop off in participation after the new year rolls around.

The ad is for the company’s Neighborhood of Good platform, which shows volunteer opportunities by zip code, and which the Bloomington, Illinois-based insurer debuted in March. Called “Don’t You,” it’s designed to encourage viewers to renew their charity-focused efforts. The 60-second commercial shows a soup kitchen bustling with holiday cheer, plentiful plates and lots of help as a man sings “Don’t You Forget About Me” on a piano. As he sings, the scene shifts to one after New Year’s. The differences are stark: tables are empty of food, few volunteers are present and the those in need of help appear disheartened. “The season of giving ends, but the need remains,” reads text at the end of the spot.

The giving platform’s first ad, “The Following,” which ran in March, was a two-minute film about a man who finds peace from the world’s more horrific headlines by volunteering. NeighborhoodofGood.com has received approximately a million visitors to date, according to Rand Harbert, chief agency, sales and marketing officer at 96-year-old company, including a spike of visitors around the time of the hurricanes in Texas and Florida earlier this year.

Continue reading at AdAge.com