Work of the Week: 13/09/24
The best work from this week greets us with a broad spectrum of creative. From the heart-wrenching to the light-hearted, tackling everything from mental health to lunchtime rituals. Leading the charge is the CALM “Missed Birthdays” campaign, serving as a powerful, visual reminder of the tragic reality of youth suicide. Meanwhile, Tesco taps into something both relatable and effective – the humble Meal Deal – with a joyous celebration of personal food combos that feels quintessentially British.
Amazon takes a leap back in time, imagining a world where Leonardo da Vinci gets his inventions off the ground thanks to modern business tools, while Harris-Walz hit Trump where it hurts with a scathing political spot.
Fashionistas will appreciate Zalando’s stylish ode to commuter fashion dilemmas, while Pepsi’s NFL gladiator battle injects modern star power into an iconic campaign from the boast. To top it off, Nike’s latest spot reminds us that pushing ourselves past the point of comfort is the essence of winning, while Cornetto’s whimsical, handcrafted posters evoke the carefree bliss of summer.
CALM - Missed Birthdays
Starting off with my personal star of the show this week. This creative out of home is from adam&eveDDB with Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) in partnership with ITV. Suicide is the leading cause of death for people under 34 in the UK – on 10th September, World Suicide Prevention Day, an installation of 6,929 balloons were released, representing the unreached birthdays of the young people who have died by suicide in the past decade. Visitors were given the opportunity to listen to intimate voice notes from loved ones who have lost a young person to suicide. The Missed Birthdays campaign directs to the newly created resource – the CALM C.A.R.E kit: A suite of tools and resources to help trusted adults be there for a young person.
It’s striking, heart wrenching, and deeply necessary. It does the most we can ask of any out of home.
Tesco - Your Best Combo, Made Better
This spot from BBH London taps into British lunchtime culture in a way that feels relatable and joyous. Promoting upgrades to ingredients and the introduction of new products, the ad follows Brits as they pitch their Meal Deal as the ultimate combination. For each of them, their choice is unquestionably the only ‘10/10’. Along the way you’ll see some familiar faces, but most importantly, the cast represents the diversity of the British public. It’s colourful, it’s fun, and it taps into the cultural vernacular seamlessly.
Amazon Business - Leo’s Inventions
Independent creative agency, Joint, collaborated with Amazon Business to tell the tale of famed polymath, Leonardo Da Vinci, finally getting his ideas up and running with the assistance of Smart Business Buying solutions. The ad is set in renaissance Florence and follows the inventor through town working freely and efficiently. A world where boats fly and anything seems possible. Look out for a cheeky wink from Mona Lisa herself.
Harris-Walz 2024 - The Best People
From the Harris-Walz campaign, we have a scathing spot with Donald Trump in the firing line. The ad compiles a carefully curated sequence of videos painting the former president as unfit for service. The narrative hinges on a statement from Trump in 2016 where he promised to hire “Only the best people.” Now those very people are warning America that he isn’t the person for the job – everyone from his once doting VP, Mike Pence, through to the former defence secretary, Mark Esper.
The ad finishes with a brief still of vice president, Kamala Harris, who voiceovers approval for the messaging.
Zalando - What Do I Wear?
Leading fashion and lifestyle brand, Zalando, unites a star-studded cast on a tube for this spot from Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam. The ad follows the inner-workings of the minds of commuters as they leave and board the train, most of them wondering “What Do I Wear?”
The 30-second hero explores the universality of wondering what to wear, which is reflected in the diversity of the cast, which includes Willem Dafoe, Brigitte Nielsen, Luka Sabbat, and TikTok’s ‘Train Girl’, Sabrina Bahsoon.
The hero is followed by five subsequent 15-second films delving deeper into the personal stories of the characters, as well as a series of posters shot by Sophie Jones, depicting the characters engaged in relatable, yet cheeky scenarios.
Pepsi - Make Your Gameday Epic
Pepsi goes back in time with Megan Thee Stallion, Josh Allen, Derrick Henry, Justin Jefferson and Travis Kelce, in an epic battle spot from Ridley Scott Associates. It marks 20 years since Pepsi launched its unforgettable spot for ‘Gladiator’. Celebrating the beginning of the 2024 NFL season, and the release of ‘Gladiator II’, the short film follows superstars turned gladiators as they undergo an epic battle, with ice-cold Pepsi front and centre of the action.
A brand new song from Megan Thee Stallion soundtracks the campaign, as the empress has NFL players beckoning to her every call. It feels modern, visually exciting, and pays homage to the original iconic Pepsi campaign from years passed.
Nike - Winning isn’t Comfortable
This is the second chapter of Nike’s ‘Winning isn’t for Everyone’ work, executed by Wieden+Kennedy Portland and Iconoclast. This spot focuses on running, with true insights of a runner’s reality as the baseline. It chronicles just how difficult it is to just lace up your shoes and go. The idea that hating the sport means you just don’t love it enough propels the idea that there are huge opportunities that exist just outside of an individual's comfort zone.
Each of the five films in the series juxtaposes the negative feelings of dread and exhaustion with the ecstasy of pushing beyond your limits. The four films are directed by MEGAFORCE and are set to roll-out through marathon season.
Cornetto - Unwrap It
Finally, in the first of its kind for the brand, LOLA MullenLowe Madrid and PICT combine the iconic wrapper with summer moments to boost brand awareness and evoke the feelings of summertime. The handcrafted posters involved experimentation using magazine clippings and hundreds of trials with the Cornetto wrapper to achieve the perfect layout for each still. Incorporated within are various elements that represent the season including boats, beach umbrellas, surfers, boats, waves and more.
