38 Years Later
Triple-S
Issue 40 | September 2016
Agency
J. Walter Thompson Puerto Rico
Creative Team
Chief Creative Officer Jaime Rosado Assistant Creative Director Fernando Rosario Digital Creative Director Pablo Torres Copywriter Sandra Rosario Art Director Obed Varela
Production Team
Editor Mizael Morales Sound Engineer Carlos Dávila Agency Producer Noro Sebastián Production Company Latitude 18 Films
Other Credits
Account Director Omara Ortíz VP, Director of Planning & Research Luis Toledo
Date
September 2015
Background
Triple-S is one of Puerto Rico's leading health insurance providers.
It wanted to launch the newest version of its senior health plan, targeted at the 65+ age group.
This age cohort has changed significantly through their lives, and so have their health needs. But they still love TV: over 90% of them regularly watch it, and telenovelas (Latin soap operas but with added melodrama) are their favourite kind of show.
Idea
Released back in 1978, the highest-rated TV show of all-time in Puerto Rico was a telenovela called Cristina Bazán. In partnership with Telemundo, the network that originally aired the series, the idea was to bring the show back to Puerto Rico's screens. But 38 years later.
The actors were reunited, the iconic opening sequence was reshot and used as Triple-S's main TV ad, and a new two-hour episode filmed, with the action taking place 38 years after the show's finale.
Results
Extensive media coverage of the initiative created significant public interest.
The campaign was a huge success and the sequel achieved a 17.7 household rating, the highest in its time slot.
Our Thoughts
Health plans for the over-65s – not exactly a riveting subject, is it? Full marks to J. Walter Thompson for a smart piece of thinking, to marry the target market's love of telenovelas with a way (ie shared age, ailments, health concerns etc) to identify with the stars of those shows.
And full marks too for roping in the broadcaster Telemundo. We commonly talk of advertiser-funded programming, but maybe we should widen out that definition to include the idea of advertiser-'inspired' programming.
A word of warning though: health insurers thinking of trying the same trick with, say, Dallas, Dynasty or, heaven forbid, Crossroads, should think again.