Steve Barone Creative

On this page there are 2 campaigns.

Role for all: Editor

IT’S OK TO CHANGE CAMPAIGN:

Refocusing the COVID-19 vaccine debate on

individual choice.

For so many people who decided early on to be “against” the COVID-19 vaccine, there seemed to be no wiggle room. But what we found through research was that a lot of people were open to reconsidering it. They were just tired of being shamed and lectured and told they’re wrong or stupid – and therefore continued to dig their heels in.

What mattered?

Minnesota’s Covid vaccination rates began to plateau, making it increasingly crucial to break through to those previously resistant to considering it.

The insight

Taking in new information and changing your mind doesn’t make you wrong or weak. It’s a sign of intelligence.

The change

By presenting new information with empathy, and showcasing real stories of former vaccine resistors – people began to feel empowered to reconsider COVID-19 vaccines on their own terms.

Results

In the two months after the campaign launched, vaccine doses administered

nearly tripled – finally pushing Minnesota across the 70% threshold.

Role for all: Editor

Awards: Gold Healthcare Advertising Awards

REAL STORIES REAL IMPACTS CAMPAIGN:

We all have our own Real Stories of Covid’s impact; but the end is finally in sight. So when it’s your time, Roll Up Your Sleeves, Minnesota – and get vaccinated for us all. Real stories from real people.

Role for all: Editor

Awards: Bronze Healthcare Advertising Awards

Kaposia has been investing in the prosperity of people with disabilities for over 50 years. The company helps people find meaningful work related to their personal genius. Here are three stories about people that love their jobs. I was honored to produce and edit these.

Highlighting two different campaigns here for Wings. “You Own It” and “Give yourself Some Credit”

Role for all: Editor

You Own it Campaign:

In relaunching the Wings brand, we found an opportunity to empower people early in their financial journey (18-27 year olds) to expect more out of their primary financial institution. Because at a bank, you’re a customer. At Wings, you’re an owner.

What mattered?

Educating Adult Gen Z on the difference of Wings Credit Union over traditional banks.

The insight

At a bank, profits are given to shareholders. At Wings, profits are reinvested in the financial health and experience of its member-owners.

The change

Using empowerment and education, we’re shifting viewpoints of what owning your money really means.

Give Yourself Some Credit Campaign:

This campaign for Wings Financial Credit Union leans on financial empowerment to encourage members to “borrow smarter.”

People are pretty amazing when it comes to the ways they get economical in life. That was the spark of the idea in the latest campaign for Wings Financial Credit Union by CCF. Starting with a Slack channel asking what CCF employees do in life to save money (“lived with in-laws to save for a down payment”/“turn leftovers into new meals”) and listening to consumers talk about the importance of finances today—these stories became the meat of “Give Yourself Some Credit.”

The campaign won a Marketing Award in the video category from the 2022 Minnesota Credit Union Marketing Awards and Best in Show at the Diamond Awards.

Hairless Dog make good NA brew. Here are some fun winter themed spots meant to look a little old school standard def style.

Role for all spots: Concept/Director/Shooter/Editor

Awards: AdFed The Show Award- Bronze - Internet Commercial Campaign

CAR-FREE HERO: (Visuals for social posts that had copy detailing a giveaway) The purpose was to get people in the Twin Cities to pledge to take one car-free trip in the month of September and receive the chance to win exciting prizes!

TAP: (Explainer Videos) The Transit Assistance Program (TAP) is designed to make public transit more affordable for people with lower incomes. TAP provides a year-long reduced fare pass on a Go-To Card. Customers can use a bus or train for just $1 per ride – even during rush hour – with a 2½ hour transfer.

Ditch the Drive Campaign: The work uses humor to show what happens when road rage starts creeping into commuters’ “off the road” life. The results are funny, albeit embarrassing. The campaign leverages an insight uncovered during formative research: While the general public appreciates public transportation, those who only ride occasionally (or not at all) don’t necessarily think it’s right for everyday commuting—it’s not as convenient as they want, as easy as they want, or as accessible as they want.

The campaign, “Ditch the Drive, Join the Ride” aims to change the perception of these occasional or never-riders. Using Metro Transit can remove the hassles of traffic, construction, road rage and stress that often come along with commuting, both on and off the road.

A to B Campaign: Metro Transit was looking for a way to increase ridership, particularly among millennials. So we did a little research and discovered that a pretty major barrier was the perception of being complex, but only amongst people who hadn’t ridden it in a while. They didn’t know how to figure out what bus to take. They didn’t know how much it cost or how to pay. However, people who used it on a regular basis saw things as the complete opposite – especially with things like a Go-To Card to pay and a new mobile site that told them exactly what bus to take when. So we just needed to find a super simple way to showcase how simple Metro Transit actually is to use. By putting people in giant A costumes and having them take the bus to people in giant B costumes, we figured it couldn’t get much simpler than that. It also gave the brand a true voice and face – making Metro Transit seem fun, relatable, and easy as apple pie. Even easier in fact. Because making apple pie is actually kinda hard.

Metro Transit Police Recruitment: Edited a recruitment video for the The Metro Transit Police Department that oversees one of the country’s largest transit systems. Target people out of the state of Minnesota.

Journey On Campaign. I came up with the campaign idea/tagline using iconography and photos and my creative director plussed it out to what is shown here.

Trimble Transportation and Logistics helps the world's on-land commercial vehicle industry achieve greater overall fleet performance. They provide innovative and integrated onboard computing and mobile communications systems that enable managers to get data-driven business intelligence at their fingertips. To make better decisions that lead to greater overall profitability.

Never Stop Evolving Campaign

In these videos, you can hear Trimble Transportation customers explain what evolution means to them and the role it plays in selecting technology for their trucking fleets.

What mattered?

Giving fleet managers, brokers, shippers and drivers better tools and more confidence to do their jobs faster, safer and more efficiently.

The insight

The people of the supply chain know there’s no finish line.

The change

By relating to members of the supply chain on their level, “Never Stop Evolving” changed what the audience expected from a technology partner.

Campaign for Altru Health System - Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.

When you are in pain you need more than just a doctor. You need a problem solver.

Role for all: Editor

Awards: Merit Award - Healthcare Advertising Awards

Altru Faces 30 & Thinking of You 30:

Situation

As the region’s largest hospital and health system, the community depends on Altru. But many people felt like they could be doing more to show their commitment.

Emotional Catalyst

Altru is yours. Altru exists for everyone who is proud to call this region home.

Solution

By using real community members in the campaign, we regrounded Altru in people’s minds as the region’s real community care provider.

Role: Editor

Reconnect With Nature: New spot for 2019

Fun+ Campaign: We were tasked with making videos to raise awareness about animal conservation and endangered species protection. Here is a collection of the 15 second versions. I also cut 10 second and 6 second versions.

This was one of my favorite projects to work on. No Scripts, No Hired Actors, just Real Growers and Owners telling their story. Red Gold Tomatoes, an Indiana based, fourth-generation, family-owned and operated company works with more than 50 family farms across Indiana, Ohio and Michigan to grow enough tomatoes to make the brand’s premium tomato products. In fact, some of these families have been growing Red Gold tomatoes for several generations. Red Gold wants people to know these farmers as well, which is why the company is sharing its family farm stories through this campaign. Red Gold. Grown By Families. Enjoyed By Families.

Role in all videos: Editor

YWCA of Minneapolis programs inspire and ignite change, creating brighter futures to move our community forward. Videos for the YWCA were created to promote programs such as health and Wellness, education and DEI initiatives.

These are spots to encourage people to sign up for health insurance through MNsure, Minnesota's online health insurance marketplace.

Role in all: Editor

BEsure with MNsure Campaign

What mattered?

Minnesotans worried that they weren’t always finding the best health insurance options and receiving all the possible tax incentives they may have coming.

The insight

When it comes to insurance, people want assurance.

The change

The “Be sure with MNsure” campaign reframed Minnesotans’ perception of what MNsure provides: Assurance they’ve picked the right health plan for them, and reminded people that MNsure is the only place to get that assurance.

On this page there are 2 campaigns.

Real stories. Real Quitters: (5 spots)

Our experience shows that smokers trust advice from those they can relate to, so we developed a new campaign for QUITPLAN Services called “Real stories. Real quitters.” Featuring the stories of Minnesotans who quit smoking with help from QUITPLAN, each offers a unique spin on what motivated them to quit for good. The stories will be seen on TV and online just in time to support those who made a new year’s resolution to quit smoking.

QuitCash Challenge (2 Spots)

QUITPLAN Services decided to launch a smoking cessation program that offered people a chance to win $5,000 if they quit smoking for four weeks. This program, called The QuitCash Challenge, also provided an opportunity to counteract the increasing apathetic emotion within the smoking community–a reaction to the state smoking ban, cigarette tax increases and growing social disapproval from non-smokers. To promote sign-up we made some TV spots.

Destination Medical Center (DMC) is a unique 20-year economic development initiative. The $5.6 billion plan is the largest in Minnesota’s history. With the expansion of Mayo Clinic and DMC growth, Rochester is a global destination for health and wellness and so much more.

In 2013, state officials determined there was a compelling interest to authorize public investments in Rochester to help support Mayo Clinic in Rochester as a global medical destination center. These leaders worked together to develop DMC and create in statute the financing tools and public governance structure necessary to carry out the global destination vision.

With more than $5 billion in projected private investments over the next 20 years, DMC will provide the public financing necessary to build the public infrastructure and other projects needed to support the vision.

These videos support the mission.

Role on all videos: Creative Director, Editor

Ocean Assemble Campaign: We may have over 10,000 lakes in Minnesota, but we’re still landlocked. That is, until this summer. With the reopening of Discovery Bay, the Minnesota Zoo was excited to not only introduce a number of brand new fun oceanic exhibits – including the extremely rare Hawaiian monk seals – but also educate people on how they can help protect our seas (and sea life) around the world. Nothing that putting a Hawaiian conch shell in the hands of a 7-year old girl couldn’t accomplish.

Our campaign of TV, radio, digital and out-of-home flooded the state (pun acknowledged) – creating a battle cry that proudly announced the ocean’s arrival right here at the Minnesota Zoo.

MN Zoo Foundation Videos: The Minnesota Zoo is changing lives—both animal and human—every day. These videos are used to highlight donor volunteerism and help fundraising.

Tiger Conservation Campaign: To encourage public support, a new video developed by the Tiger Conservation Campaign and the Minnesota Zoo, to highlight the plight of tigers in their natural ranges, has debuted on the Tiger Conservation Campaign website. The video will also be shared by a number of AZA-accredited zoos joining in these conservation efforts.

Role in all: Editor

Lifter Puller or LFTR PLLR was my first rock band and the reason I moved to Minnesota from the east coast.

We were active from 1994–2000, 2002, 2003, 2015, 2016

Some members went on to perform in The Hold Steady. 

Here's the wiki for Lifter Puller

The Hold Steady's Craig Finn Reflects on the Legacy of Lifter Puller

Discography

Albums

Lifter Puller — 1997

Half Dead and Dynamite — 1997

Fiestas and Fiascos — 2000

Singles

"Prescription Sunglasses" — 1995

"Slips Backwards" — 1995

"The Mezzanine Gypoff" — 1996

"Bay City Rolling" — 2001

"4-Dix" — 2001

EPs

The Entertainment and Arts — 1998

Compilations

Soft Rock — 2002

Lifter Puller Vs. the End of — 2009