MAKE, Minneapolis based design and animation firm collaborated with Swanson Russell to create first completely animated campaign for Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS.) Three all new thirty second spots for Nebraska broadcast highlight a new visual style, bringing a sense of innovation to the BCBS brand and renewed relevance to today's insurance consumer.
Swanson Russell swiftly approached MAKE on the fully animated project. "There was a lot of back and forth initially as the design, storyboards and characters were developed," said Danny Robashkin, Creative Director at MAKE. Each story uniquely expresses why having a BCBS insurance card is "One less thing to worry about." "Animation is new for BCBS, it really broke down the clutter and got them out of the typical," explained Ed Salem, Creative Director, "Animation made it more approachable and it worked really well with the tag line."
MAKE enjoyed ample creative freedom during the project. "Swanson Russell knew exactly what they were trying to achieve as far as feel and message was concerned, but gave us the freedom to explore and help develop the style." stated Robashkin. "The little things they added as animators were very cool." said Patrick White, Producer. Salem agreed, stating, "We just felt like MAKE was going to take care of us, there was a lot of passion with their work."
"Final designs became a blend of Disney influence and naturalism," stated Andrew Chesworth, Director & Lead Animator at MAKE, "As a fan of traditional hand-drawn animation and modern motion graphics; it was exciting to make the old new again." "It was a great opportunity to push the quality and refinement of the traditional cel animation we usually do," added Robashkin. Their result promoted BCBS's evolved brand identity. "Animation really changed BCBS's look and feel, they've really changed who they are," explained White.
Shared trust was vital to the campaign's success. "MAKE almost read our minds to the point where we loved pretty much every thing they showed us," explained White, "It almost allowed us to let MAKE do it on their own; they did such a good job, there was a high comfort level." Chesworth agreed, "I'm incredibly grateful and appreciative of the open-mindedness Swanson Russell had toward our approach. It's always wonderful when production artists are teamed with eager, collaborative clients whose vision is clear. The end results are something everyone is proud of and glad to have worked on."