Work of the Week: 01/12/23
It's the first day of the final month of the year. Already. I should perhaps prefix this selection of advertising's finest of the last week with something profound, but my brain is struggling to get past the inevitable speed at which time will travel.
Despite that, it's important we all take a minute from time to time. To sit and be. And watch good advertising. Which is what you should do right now.
Make My Money Matter - Oblivia Coalmine
Olivia Colman is a latex-wearing, potty-mouthed CEO of a fossil fuel company financed by UK pension holders in this spot with some of the slickest copywriting we've encountered recently. Just wait until the final line. It was created by Lucky General and directed by Somesuch's Raine Allen-Miller.
Apple - The Lost Voice
Apple's latest film, directed by Taika Waititi ('Jojo Rabbit', 'What We Do in the Shadows') tells a whimsical tale of a young girl and her fantastical floppy-eared friend, as they search high and low for his missing voice, before revealing a uniquely personal moment between a father and a daughter. The father, played by Dr. Tristram Ingham, has a muscle degeneration disease that can ultimately lead to an inability to speak, so he narrates the film with iPhone's Personal Voice technology. The production captures the beautiful natural landscapes of the country and stars an assortment of furry, feathered and froggy puppets that add to its dreamlike, storybook feel.
Tui - Thanks for Everything Elves
Holiday provider Tui's first ever festive ad ponders what Santa's elves might get up to once their Christmas rush ends. It is pure out-of-office vibes with the big red-suited boss firmly at the back of their minds. And all to the tune of Ricky Martin's Livin' La Vida Loca, which is something I can get behind. Leo Burnett is the agency behind this spot and it was directed by Alex Boutell via Rogue Films.
Burger King - Hijacking Christmas
Burger King UK and BBH London are aiming to 'hijack Christmas' with a series of playful OOH ads and a re-write of a stone-cold classic festive tune. OOH executions play on the dual meanings of ‘Whopper’, which can describe Burger King’s signature burger… or an exceptionally big fib, while 'Driving Home For Christmas' has been rewritten to ensure, during the lead up to the big day, people are guided to 21 Burger King Drive Thru locations across the most travelled motorways in the UK, with specific turn-by-turn directions. The new rendition is titled, very cleverly, Driving (Thru The) Home (Of The Whopper) For Christmas.
Big Save Furniture - Prices That Make Sense
What else could you do with the money you might spend on a seemingly boring mattress? This spot from Kiwi brand Big Save Furniture explores that very question to the extreme, as a gawping mattress shopper daydreams about the possibility - and ramifications - of buying a finely sculptured horse made of butter. Motion Sickness is the agency behind this spot, which is part of a full scale brand refresh.
Royal Mail - In Good Hands
Posties - UK slang for Royal Mail workers - are a much loved and essential element of British life all through the year, but especially so at Christmas. A new spot from AMV BBDO and Stink Films' Tom Green recognises the importance of their role with a specially commissioned poem by the TS Eliot Prize-winning poet Roger Robinson.
