Commercial production · 2024
Smart Serve Cares.
Smart Serve Cares.
People first.
A 30-second commercial introducing mental-health support to Ontario’s hospitality workers. Viva Media developed and produced the Smart Serve Cares film, connecting familiar scenes on the job with a clear way to find support.
Watch the project
Make support feel within reach.
Smart Serve Ontario is known for responsible alcohol service training. In May 2024, it launched Smart Serve Cares with Not 9 to 5 and GreenShield to connect eligible certificate holders with mental-health support. The campaign needed to introduce that service to the people working in kitchens, cafés and bars.
Viva Media developed the concepts, scripts and storyboards for a four-film campaign. The mental-health commercial shown here led the launch. We wrote it to help hospitality workers recognise themselves in the story, understand that support was available and know where to find it.
Speak to the person behind the shift.
The script addressed the viewer directly. Familiar scenes at work gave way to moments of connection, time outside work and a person using their phone to access support.
Film the world they work in.
Kitchens, a café and a bar made the audience’s working world recognisable. Scenes at home and with colleagues gave the film room to acknowledge life beyond the shift. The storyboards connected those moments before filming began.
Show how to find support.
A simplified phone screen made the support service visible within the story. We shaped the edit around that moment, the voiceover and the closing call to action, keeping the message understandable within a 30-second running time.
Build the shorter edit around the message.
We carried the approved storyboards through filming and post-production, then reviewed the cut, voiceover, sound and closing card with Smart Serve’s team. The result was a 30-second film that moved from familiar working environments to a direct invitation to seek support.
When a planned TV placement called for 15 seconds, we adapted the film to fit. That meant shortening the voiceover and adjusting the sound while preserving the core message and call to action. The 30-second film is also featured on Smart Serve’s campaign page.
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