Taking horses skiing for Canon
The latest instalment of the “Come and See” campaign for Canon from JWT took a range of Canon cameras and some intrepid bearded crew members to Argentina’s mountains to film Franco Moro, the 55-year old Skijoring (Horse Skiing) World Champion, being dragged on his skis behind a galloping horse. As with the past four executions in the “Come and See” series, the content not only introduces the viewer to a new world of fascinating experiences and authentic stories but entices them to get involved and share their own. It's essentially an 'alternative' Christmas spot, revealing that not everyone’s idea of Christmas is about expansive tables groaning with food, warm fireplaces and presents, and asking Canon users to go out and explore their own unique perspectives of winter and Christmas.
The latest instalment of the “Come and See” campaign for Canon shows 55-year old Skijoring World Champion, Franco Moro being dragged on his skis behind a galloping horse
The film will feature on the Canon “Come and See” online hub alongside behind-the-scenes footage, technique videos and hints and tips. The massive array of content on the hub is designed to accommodate all consumer mind-sets and experience levels, from amateur photographers to professionals. The film is also designed to highlight specific features of the Canon range, such as the ability to capture subjects moving at high speeds. Adam Scholes, creative director at JWT London, said: “The campaign is all about delivering something new and exciting, but also inspiring people to get their camera out and teaching them how to get the best out of it – and Skijoring gave us the ideal way to do this. Also, by eschewing the storyboard and following a brief of exploration and reactivity the crew were able to continue filming during an abrupt and almost incapacitating snowstorm, allowing us to capture some of the most beautiful shots in the film. It also gave us a chance to really put the camera through its paces.”
Repurposing Instagram into a digital storybook
JWT Kuwait has created a first-of-its-kind experience for children, the InstaBook. By repurposing Instagram for its client, Zain Kuwait, the team has changed the simple image format into a wonderful 156-picture storybook in Arabic InstaBook for children called “Zain and the Stars.” In choosing social media as the dynamic platform for this concept, the initiative marries the time-honoured tradition of storytelling with the digital world that young children are born into today. Twelve more Arabic InstaBooks are scheduled to follow in the coming weeks.
Writing a digital Christmas wish for Macy's
Macy’s eighth annual “Believe” campaign from JWT New York launched this week with a new film and a new element that will delight children and adults alike; Macy’s interactive Wish Writer stylus and app. The Wish Writer teaches children the importance of giving back to others during Christmas, while the short film shares the same heart-warming story of the gift of generosity. From November 6 through December 24, customers can visit their local Macy’s store to drop their stamped letters addressed to Santa into the big red letterboxes, create and send a letter with the Wish Writer app, or send a letter to Santa. For each letter collected, Macy’s will donate $1 to Make-A-Wish, an organisation that grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.
Macy’s eighth annual “Believe” campaign launched this week with a new film and a new element; Macy’s Wish Writer stylus and app
Martine Reardon, chief marketing officer for Macy’s, said: “We’re proud to partner with Make-A-Wish for the eighth annual Believe campaign, which continues to be one of our most beloved programs of the year. After many months of development, we’re excited to launch Macy’s Wish Writer as a fun, new element of this year’s campaign, which will benefit Make-A-Wish and teach children how acts of kindness can spread holiday spirit this season.” The Believe campaign was inspired by the true story of 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon, who wrote a letter to the New York Sun newspaper in 1897 asking if there really was a Santa Claus. The paper’s response, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist,” written by Francis P. Church, became one of the most famous newspaper editorials of all time. Macy’s has raised $90 million for Make-A-Wish since 2003, with $10.8 million donated over the last seven years through the iconic letter writing campaign during the holiday season.
Building a house in a day for HSBC
JWT London has created a touching spot for HSBC to promote its new One Day Mortgage approval service and demonstrate how much can be achieved in a single day with the right amount of ambition and help. “The Invitation” ad is designed to communicate HSBC’s brand new One Day Mortgage service that sees the bank being able to offer a mortgage approval in as little as 24 hours. It's another execution in the “Human Ambitions” brand positioning, which seeks to inspire people to realise their hopes, dreams and ambitions, by placing themselves as a natural partner to support them on their journey.
Taking gold at the China Effie Awards
The highly successful China launch campaign for the Ford Escort has earned ChangAn Ford and JWT Shanghai a Gold Effie at the Greater China Effie Awards. The integrated campaign, which spanned TV, radio, print, PR, retail, online and social media, as well as cinema and outdoor, introduced and positioned the Ford Escort as an aspirational family car among the target demographic; middle-aged family men in China’s third-to-sixth tier cities. The campaign was centred on a TVC which told a visual story spanning 10 years in one family’s life, using a one-shot technique, with the Escort at the centre of the action. It also invited consumers to submit user-generated content on their own special family moments and leverage 36 short films directed by up-and-coming movie directors. The top four most popular films were featured on WeChat Moments, the social network’s new sponsored feed, in January 2015, when China celebrated its Lunar New Year festival. Working with DreamWorks, ChangAn Ford also created custom designed videos featuring characters from the film Madagascar interacting with the Escort, which aired online, in cinemas and on CCTV’s Children’s Channel.
The China launch campaign for the Ford Escort has earned ChangAn Ford and JWT Shanghai a Gold Effie at the Greater China Effie Awards
Dan Ingall, managing director of JWT Shanghai, said: “At J. Walter Thompson, we exist to pioneer solutions that build our clients' brands and businesses. It's a huge honour to be recognised for having done just that for ChangAn Ford in China.” Wesley Liu, general manager of the ChangAn Ford Sales Company, added: “ChangAn Ford is extremely proud to be recognised with this Gold Effie. With hundreds of new products launched in China every year, it is extremely difficult to earn customers interest and attention. Launching a brand new nameplate is always a particularly difficult challenge. For the success of this campaign to be recognised by a panel of such outstanding professionals, is a great honour.”
Facing a lawsuit in Taiwan
Finally, we'd be remiss not to mention that JWT might be suffering a little backlash in Taiwan this week. The agency's Taipei office found itself in some hot water after a model announced her intention to sue the agency for apparently ruining her reputation with an ad launched in 2012 for a Taiwanese cosmetic surgery centre. The heavily photoshopped piece features Heidi Yeh (the model in question) posing with some terrifying children, who no longer resemble her or the model playing her husband. In fact, they've been so drastically altered that they almost look like Doctor Who monsters! Yeh claims the ad ruined her life after it went viral, and has prevented her from getting work. JWT Taipei, on the other hand, claim that the campaign “Was created to promote plastic surgery services in a humorous manner,” and that as they own the copyright to the photo, they have the right to edit, modify and use it as they see fit. We'll have more as and when the story develops.
