Avast's Humorous Intervention Calls the Internet to Account on Cybersecurity

John O’Hagan has directed his first UK spot since re-joining Hungry Man; a comedy spot for Avast with Publicis•Poke. John collaborated with global creative director Will Bloor at Avast to help develop the script. 

It distinguishes Avast from other brands in the category – it’s funny, but also human and relatable. Whilst personifying the Internet in the film, everything from the look of the space to the performances is grounded in reality. It’s an inherently awkward situation and John’s talent for directing comedy shines through, as it exudes humour from how natural and unforced the intervention is. 

Quote from John O'Hagan: '"I was drawn to the whole premise of the spot—this idea of having an intervention with the Internet. It just immediately lended itself to humour. The topic of internet security isn’t exactly a barrel of laughs, but I loved that the Avast client wanted to change this and to get their message across with a smile. It allowed us to really push the comedy in this spot. Although we went into the shoot with a great script, many of the lines of dialogue ended up being improvised in the end. It’s an approach to comedy and performance in general that I love because it tends to make the moments feel more real”.