High Five: Recent Faves from FCB Toronto's Jennifer Rossini
It’s quite difficult to condense all the great work done worldwide recently into just a few favourites (as if we can even see it all, let’s be honest). But as a means of choosing, these are five campaigns that I would gladly slap my name on and steal for my book if I knew I’d get away with it. The work is diverse, but its connecting thread seems to be a commitment to single-mindedness - each piece makes a hearty meal of just one simple, insightful thought through its execution, albeit in very different ways. The best creative always seems to...
Midea America - '90 Minutes of Air Conditioning'
Agency: Pereira O’Dell
Production: Barrelhouse Productions
Sound: Levology Sound
A perfect little stunt based on a perfect little consumer insight. Midea America takes product placement to the extreme with a film screening that underscores why New Yorkers really go to the movies in summertime. Seeing moviegoers blithely munch popcorn while watching a single 90-minute shot of a Midea air conditioner blowing is hilarious - and relatable. As an air conditioning enthusiast, I would absolutely pay a premium to attend this theatre on a hot day.
Burgenland Tourist Board x Wine Tourism Burgenland - 'Nicholas Ofczarek as The Wines of Burgenland'
Agency: Wien Nord Serviceplan x Now Serviceplan
Production: Das Rund
Sound: Blautöne
The Brugenland Tourist Board have revealed Austrian theatre actor Nicholas Ofczarek as their new brand ambassador, and the result is a series of wonderfully bizarre vignettes in which Ofczareck enthusiastically performs the character profile for each wine from the famed region with unabashed commitment. It’s completely bonkers but somehow also makes total sense - without a single product to be seen (I’ll take the Ruster Ausbruch DAC).
Globant - '1000 Slides'
Agency: GUT Buenos Aires
Production: Rebolución
Post: Da8
Sound: Porta Estudio
Who says B2B has to be dry? This spot for Globant - focusing on the last moments in one office’s quest to get to 1000 slides in their consultancy deck - is actually laugh-out-loud funny. Fantastic comedic direction and editing highlight standout ensemble casting and performances, down to even the most minor character - I discover a new reaction face every time I watch it. And we know we’ve all seen that graph before.
Bodyform - '#Periodsomnia'
Agency: AMV BBDO
Production: Somesuch
Post: Time Based Arts
Music: Soundtree Music
The period sleep gap is real, and this campaign from Bodyform, which aims to begin eliminating that gap, smartly gives it a name - '#Periodsomnia'. The beautifully crafted accompanying film uses thermal imaging and animation to illustrate just how elusive sleep can be for people who have periods. It’s an evocative, sensorial (and impressively inclusive) viewing experience for anyone who’s been there, and hopefully an eye-opening one for those who haven’t. It’s highly annoying that this was ever a taboo subject, but nonetheless, this campaign gives it the space it deserves. Plus, the track choice is perfect.
Nerdwallet - 'Inflashion'
Agency: Deutsch LA
Inflashion! The name. The looks. The little sting. The deadly serious industrial house music. The Sprockets vibes. The overall silliness. I love it all. Advertising’s collab era lives on in this campaign from Nerdwallet and designer Jack Irving - launching in time for NY and London Fashion Weeks (and as I’m writing this - recency bias be damned). It’s a marvellous bit of pitch-perfect fashion parody that also functions perfectly as engaging educational content for these inflationary times.
