In anticipation of Cannes Lions, global CCO at VMLY&R COMMERCE, Manuel Borde, delves into five creative commerce projects that have excelled in their own unique ways
Creative commerce is the next great canvas of creativity - an opportunity for creative and brand teams to widen their horizon beyond that 'big brand ad' and link commercial reality at the get-go. Throughout the years, we’ve seen commerce-born creativity across 90% of the awards show categories, and this year’s new Cannes Lions Creative Commerce category is only a confirmation of that. A move we helped to instigate, I’m looking forward to seeing the pioneering work that gets awarded as we speak. In the meantime, here are my top five creative commerce ideas, where creativity is brought through to purchase, regardless at what point of the journey the consumer is on...
AB InBev's Corona - 'Jersey Pay'
Agency: VMLY&R COMMERCE Mexico
An innovative payment solution that solves a cultural and social tension at stadiums not only in Mexico, but likely throughout Latin America. A new business model and great commerce play by Corona using the most valuable possession a football fan can have - their team jersey - driving both sales and love for the brand.
IKEA - 'Dollar Catalogue'
Agency: Ogilvy Taiwan
I love the simplicity behind this one - not just in the solution itself, but also in how simple navigating a catalogue is made for IKEA customers. A clever response to an age-old brief from the brand.
Google - 'Black Owned Friday'
Agency: BBH New York
This is a great entertainment commerce play by Google. Turning branded entertainment into a shoppable execution. Tapping into a social cause while demoing their shopping features in their media platforms. 'Black Owned Friday' is a great platform with tremendous mileage available year after year.
AB InBev's Corona - 'The Plastic Fishing Tournament'
Agency: We Believers
A sustainable commerce model that invites fishermen - who have been affected by pollution - to make a living by literally fishing the problem, plastic waste, out of the sea. A brilliant initiative with conversion at its core, partnering with recycling companies to buy back the plastic at fair prices across several impacted markets globally, while empowering fisherman with a secondary stream of income. Doing good in creative commerce is also good for the world.
Under Armour - 'The First Meta Sneaker'
Agency: Berlin Cameron
Production: NewKino Studio
As far as brands and NFTs go (and we’ve seen plenty this year), the Under Armour Meta Sneaker celebrating Steph Curry’s three-point world record is one of the best examples tied to commerce. Not only a collectible sneaker that brings utility into the mix, but one that owners can take across multiple metaverses. After all, the whole point of getting a pair of cool kicks is being able to show them off wherever you go...even virtually.