Work of the Week: 20/01/23
We're halfway through January, everyone is back at work, the weather is terrible here at LBB HQ in London and people's new year's resolutions are starting to fall through - it's certainly not the cheeriest time of year. In fact, this Monday marked what is known as the 'most depressing day of the year': Blue Monday. Despite this day originating from a travel company's 2005 marketing stunt and since being discredited by the experts as nothing more than baseless pseudoscience, it is commonly accepted that this time of year, after the festivities of Christmas, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving and so on, can be pretty miserable regardless.
But have no fear - for Work of the Week is here. This week's selection of campaigns span the globe and are sure to inspire, entertain you and help you shake off any winter blues you may be feeling. From Apple's Chinese New Year film, to a fantastically clever take on the famous Golden Arches from director Edgar Wright, these projects have given us reasons to smile and laugh throughout the week. After watching this collection of creativity below, you can say goodbye to Blue Monday, and hello to a happy Friday.
McDonald's - #RaiseYourArches
Fancy a Maccies? This question and feeling is pretty much universal. You're busy, you've been working hard, there's nothing in the fridge... so go on, have a cheeky McDonald's. This is the insight that Leo Burnett London and director Edgar Wright (Baby Driver, Last Night in Soho, Shaun of the Dead) have centred in on for the latest spot for the fast food giant. Taking the iconic Golden Arches and turning them into a 'are you thinking what I'm thinking?' eyebrow raise, the film tells a story of a group of office workers who, through a series of unspoken invitations, conspire to head to McDonald’s for lunch.
Apple - Through the Five Passes
Created by TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Apple is once again celebrating Chinese New Year with a film shot entirely on iPhone. Directed by Peng Fei, 'Through the Five Passes' is a story about resilience and one man’s perseverance in keeping the art of Chinese Opera alive. An essential part of New Year traditions, this short film brings the colour and motion of Chinese Opera to life and pushes the limits of what the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are capable of. From the performers' colourful make-up and costumes to the pristine choreography, it's impressive just how fantastic this film looks - despite being filmed with a pocket-sized piece of kit.
Alzheimer Forschung Initiative - The Glitch
Based on the insight that Alzheimer's is literally a glitch in the patient’s brain, BBDO Dusseldorf and Caviar partnered with the German charity, AFI, to launch a new social film called 'The Glitch'. Hoping to raise awareness and donations for Alzheimer's research, the film uses a 'datamosh' glitched effect to showcase the confused and frustrating moments that a person living with the disease, and their relatives, can experience. Using this popular style of visual language, a first-person perspective and terminology like 'glitch' the aim is to reach a younger gen z audience and share these real-life stories of Alzheimer's patients in an immersive way.
Rudo - 'ESTHER' Trailer
Argentina-based studio, Rudo - represented by Psyop in North America - has released an impactful teaser of their debut series ‘ESTHER'. Esther, a young girl from Buenos Aires, must travel thousands of miles with a strange mentor: an Incan God who lives in the body of a black cat, to fulfil her dream of becoming a true healer. Along the way, she will deal with an ignorant brother, a mentor with a dark past and a conflicted girl who only seeks revenge.
Volkswagen - #SafeLikeAVolkswagen
VW's new #SafeLikeAVolkswagen campaign takes your every day home life situations and applies a variety of car safety features to them. Conceptualised by the DDB Mudra Group, the campaign uses amusing metaphors for the safety features on every Volkswagen - for instance, Grandpa's 'Auto Hill Hold' when he's helping his grandchild up a slide, or Mum's 'Electronic Stability Control' when she's carrying a cake while avoiding the tripping hazards of a child's birthday party.
Channel 4 - Stream Free 4000
A playful new campaign by Channel 4’s award winning in-house creative agency 4creative launches on January 14th. To promote the broadcaster’s free comedy content on All 4, Channel 4's in-house creative agency, 4creative, has launched this playful new campaign about a portable unisex urinal, called the 'Stream Free 4000'. How wonderful! Now you can binge all of the comedy shows on the streaming service without ever having to leave your seat to relieve yourself. The tongue-in-cheek campaign is filmed in a typical TV shopping channel style and explores the many benefits and use cases for this (fictional) new apparatus.
McDonald's - Deals Stuck in Time
With inflation continuing to rise prices, McDonald’s and the agency NORD DDB have come up with a solution. To get old prices back again, you've got to travel back in time. Simple! By using Google Street View, the fast food chain is offering people decade-old deals for some serious discounts on their food. With Street View, the people of Sweden can locate old McDonald’s out-of-home advertisements all over the country and unlock a great deal that has been stuck in time.
Dogs Trust - Ground Dog Day
VCCP's first campaign in its new five-year relationship with the dog welfare charity shows how the Dog Trust can help both dogs and owners through life - and especially during hard financial times. Working with renowned director, Nicolas Jack Davies, and the production company, The Sweet Shop, Dogs Trust has created a film that shows the joy that dogs bring and that communicates how the charity is there for people during the cost of living crisis.
BMW - Translating Joy
BMW China has launched its Chinese New Year 2023 campaign, ‘Translating Joy’, continuing its tradition of spreading joy but with a surprising and fun twist. Created by TBWA\Juice Beijing and TBWA\BOLT Shanghai, the campaign celebrates the joy that can come from AI-powered translation errors in the real world. We’ve all seen it happen before, but did you know that 'Bao Ma' / '宝⻢' (the Chinese name for the car brand, meaning 'precious horse') now translates to 'BMW' in online translation software? Accidentally hacking Chinese culture and its language, BMW has run with this idea to celebrate Chinese New Year, with a three-minute film that shows how a simple mistake can spread joy around the world.
