• by Lauren Berger , July 20, 2006

One antidote for viewer apathy toward televised public service announcements? Humor.

Working with the American Liver Foundation (ALF) to raise awareness about liver disease, filter Advertising took a turn away from the “scared straight” PSA formula.

“People are becoming desensitized to all of the statistics and facts out there,” says filter cofounder and creative director Jay Sharfstein. “We wanted to take an approach that would get people to stop and take notice.”

In one 30-second ad, a man’s girlfriend spots a strange figure lurking in the corner. He tells her not to worry, it’s just his liver (or rather, a disgruntled man in a liver costume). When the lights go out, the boyfriend receives a blow to the head from a nearby lamp. The tagline: “It’s dangerous to ignore your liver.”

In another ad, a man tells his poker buddies to ignore his liver, only to be pelted by several well-aimed darts.

The ALF hopes its message will resonate with viewers. Explains Fred Thompson, president and CEO of the ALF, “It will be a very successful first step if we just get people to start paying attention to their liver.”