American Advisors Group (AAG) has released a new video message from its celebrity spokesman, actor Tom Selleck, designed to remind Americans across the country of the particular hardships that seniors can suffer as a result of isolation that may be exacerbated by social distancing guidelines during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The video, titled “We Need You,” was produced by Teague McGrath’s Samm Media and features Selleck talking about the well-being of American seniors while also reminding people of the counsel and insight they can offer from vast amounts of life experience, having faced previous crises before.
“The video collaboration was recorded at the home of the multi-award-winning actor,” the company said in a press release announcing the message. “[This message] reminds Americans that the collective wisdom, contributions and sacrifice of our senior population deserves our lasting respect and admiration.”
Selleck’s words in the message emphasize the importance of looking in on senior family members and friends during these tough times, especially considering that social distancing may inordinately affect seniors.
For AAG’s part, recognizing the particular impact that this pandemic was having on the company’s core base of clients meant also letting those same people know that the company recognizes the hardship they could be facing.
“When COVID-19 began spreading through the United States, our first concern was our nation’s seniors,” said Lowell Orelup, AAG SVP of marketing in an email to RMD. “Older Americans make up our entire customer base, and we listen to their needs, fears and concerns hundreds if not thousands of times a day. This campaign is about letting them know that we are here to help.”
Tom Selleck himself also wanted to make sure that he could convey his own thoughts about what seniors are facing, but the widespread virus mitigation guidelines in place meant that the team had to go about accomplishing that a little differently, Orelup told RMD.
“Our spokesperson, Tom Selleck, also wanted to convey his thoughts to those who are most vulnerable to the disease,” he said. “However, with social distancing in place, there was no way we would put him at risk with a camera crew. So together, we collaborated on an honest, heartfelt message that he could record from the safety of his home.”
While most AAG commercials are direct responses under normal circumstances, performance was not the aim with this message, explains Orelup.
“From day one, our mission has been to help American seniors live a better life in retirement. And that’s exactly what we aim to convey in this message — we’re here to help,” he says.
Watch the full ad at AAG’s YouTube channel.