Putting Sir Patrick Stewart and Strongbow together again
Strongbow US “Award - Original”
Whilst it might be found on the taps at almost every pub in the UK, Strongbow is still something of a niche beverage across the pond, indeed, alcoholic cider in general is quite foreign to many Americans. As such, the number one selling global cider brand and their agency Droga5 have roped in Sir Patrick Stewart, and poked fun at his legendarily vast acting range to bring attention to the cider and it's equally wide range of flavours. The ads follow the brand's successful 2015 “All You Need Is Ice” campaign, which also starred Sir Patrick. Strongbow's new 2016 “Impressive Range” campaign includes multiple new spots, and will be supported through a mix of traditional and paid media, digital, PR and experiential marketing with the remaining spots launching later this summer.
“I have always enjoyed Strongbow, and was drawn to this campaign in particular because of its lighthearted humour and how it provides me with an opportunity to poke a bit of fun at myself” Sir Patrick Stewart
Making a dramatic seasonal understatement for Hobbs
Droga5 London has launched a new Spring-Summer campaign for Hobbs, representing the iconic British fashion brand’s first collaboration since the agency was appointed as its global creative advertising agency back in July last year. The work centres on the new “Make An Understatement” line, which captures the brand’s role in helping its core customers to make an understatement through the modern tone and visual aesthetic of its clothing. The campaign will launch in OOH and in print publications, including Red, Marie Claire, and Sunday Times, at the end of the month.
“We are really excited about the SS Campaign that we have created in partnership with Hobbs. SS Hobbs provides timeless fashion for the modern grown up who no longer needs her clothes to do all the talking” David Kolbusz, Chief Creative Officer at Droga5 London
Unleashing a presidential ad 40 years in the making
Children – Hillary Clinton
Last year, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign had tapped Droga5 to join its team. Partnering with Jim Margolis, Mandy Grunwald and the Dixon/Davis Media Group, the agency debuted its latest effort for the former Secretary of State earlier this month, and it's certainly an emotional piece of work. The new ad was literally 40 years in the making. It begins many years ago, with a scene of a young, much less polished Hillary Clinton telling an off-camera interviewer about the issues she supports; children. The ad then continues with more historical footage of the former Secretary of State, standing at podiums or speaking in front of crowds. Her hairstyles and outfits evolve with the times as the spot goes on, but throughout, the ad cleverly cuts together her speeches to make it seem as if she's delivering a single, seamless monologue about how important children and their futures are for America. It's a wonderfully smart way of underlining how, whilst times have changed, Clinton has always been a staunch supporter of children, and has always held true to her ideals.
“This is a commercial that took nearly 40 years to make” Droga5 Creative Chairman David Droga
Doubling Down on space at 120 Wall Street
Droga5 is more than doubling its space at 120 Wall Street in the Financial District, leasing 110,000 square feet in addition to the 98,000 it currently occupies. The agency, which, lest we forget, was recently named “Agency of the Year” for 2016 by Advertising Age, will occupy now 208,000 square feet over 11 floors at the 34-story, 650,000-square-foot building, making Droga5 the building's largest tenant, and bringing the tower up to 100& occupancy! Droga5 first moved to 120 Wall Street from NoHo, where it had only 35,000 square feet, in 2013, when it earned state and city funds under the World Trade Centre Job Creation & Retention program to promote creation of 154 new jobs by the end of 2017. Terms were not disclosed, but asking rents at 120 Wall were in the mid-$50s per square foot. JLL’s Ken Siegel and Howard Hersch represented Droga5 in the new lease negotiation, while Roger A. Silverstein and Joseph Artusa represented the landlord in-house.
“Droga5 are absolutely representative of the tenants coming to Lower Manhattan. Not only for work by day, but many of their employees live in close proximity, and many live in Brooklyn right over the river” Larry Silverstein, Owner of 120 Wall Street
Claiming another star hire for London office
Dylan Williams, the Publicis Worldwide Global Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, is looking set to become the latest star hire at Droga5 London. At the time of writing, Williams and Droga5 had not signed contracts, but he is believed to be joining the agency as Chief Strategist. Williams joined Publicis in May 2014, but it was revealed that he was leaving last week. Droga5’s London office was set up in 2013 by the chief executive, Kevin Dundas, and the executive creative director, Nik Studzinski, but the shop faltered on new business and the management team departed in 2014 and early 2015. Since then, David Droga, the agency’s founder, has been pursuing the best talent to run the London office. He hired Bill Scott from Grey London as CEO and Wieden & Kennedy New York’s David Kolbusz as the CCO. He also approached Grey London’s Nils Leonard about a creative chairman role, but was rebuffed.
Sticking the landing in latest work for Under Armour
Under Armour – Rule Yourself
Finally, Droga5 released the second instalment of its global “Rule Yourself” campaign for Under Armour today, with two new TV spots featuring Dutch footballer Memphis Depay and members of the USA women’s gymnastics team. The “It’s What You Do in the Dark That Puts You in the Light” campaign aims to highlight the immense amounts of training athletes go through in order to be successful. The spots, the first of which can be seen above, are rooted in the underlying theme of JOMO (joy of missing out) and and seek to show that athletes will always make sacrifices in their personal lives if it means that they can be fully dedicated to training for their sport. A second spot starring Dutch football star Memphis Depay will roll out later this week, and next month, a final spot featuring legendary swimmer Michael Phelps will end the well received campaign.
“By providing this peek behind the curtain of our athlete’s lives, we hope to inspire young athletes all over the world to push beyond their perceived limitations in order to achieve their ultimate goals” Adrienne Lofton, SVP of Global Brand Marketing at Under Armour
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and struggling musician from the depths of Kidderminster in the dark heart of the UK.
