JWT London – Debenhams
The content division at JWT London has created eight 30 second films as part of its £1.5 million “A Match Made in Debenhams” Autumn campaign for the retailer, which launched last week and is currently running across all channels in the UK with print, digital and outdoor advertising, direct mail, PR, social media and in-store activation. The films, which will be backed by short-form Instagram posts, will be released through the Debenhams owned-channels. The first two launched this week, with the last six to be uploaded over the next couple of weeks. They are designed to give shoppers hints, tips and the confidence to piece together on-trend fashion looks from the broad range of Debenhams designers, whilst showcasing some of the season’s key looks from Patrick Grant and Savannah Miller. It's not a particularly inventive concept, but the short, snappy clips and the colloquial atmosphere should help it appeal to the brand's target market.
TBWA\Paris – Action Against Hunger
Millions of people in the world live and survive thanks to the actions of aid workers. Without them, there would be no local actions or assistance for deprived populations. However, they are often the targets of violent attacks. In the past 15 years alone, more than 3,000 aid workers have been killed, kidnapped or hurt while working in the many countries that require their help. To bring attention to this crucial issue, Action Against Hunger and its agency TBWA\Paris are launching a campaign advocating for the appointment of a Special Mandate Holder to the United Nations to protect aid workers. On Tuesday 8th September they sent a message on Twitter to six of the most powerful and influential people in the world. This personal message will be sent a few days before the 70th General Assembly of the UN (September 15th, New York) to François Hollande (President of the French Republic) and his counterparts Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, David Cameron, Ban Ki-Moon (the Secretary-General of the United Nations) and Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein (High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations). It's a moving and decidedly sparse concept lent even more gravitas by the haunting lack of a soundtrack.
Droga5 New York – Under Armour
A unique promotion for Ridley Scott's highly anticipated new movie “The Martian,” starring Matt Damon, launched this week to tease the movie's October 2 release. The promotion prominently features sports performance brand and Droga5 client Under Armour, as is the result of a unique collaboration between Droga5, WME, Under Armour, RSA and 3AM. The 60 second “Leave Your Mark” film takes viewers 15 years into the future to 2030, imagining how astronauts at that time would naturally be treated like sports stars. As such, Matt Damon’s character, Mark Watney, is seen training and at the peak of physical fitness, wearing Under Armour products throughout the film, shot by RSA. In this scenario, Under Armour, who is always at the forefront of physical achievement, is established as “Official Training Partner of the Ares Program,” the space program Mark Watney is a member of. The unique promotion came to fruition after WME and Droga5 collaborated to create an idea that would be mutually beneficial to their respective clients. This project signifies the access that WME has to talent and entertainment properties, coupled with Droga5's access and relationships with the various eclectic brands the agency manages.
UNION – Mount Pleasant Group
Toronto-based advertising agency UNION and funeral planning company the Mount Pleasant Group are introducing a revolutionary (but fake) new wearable to the world, which is designed to tell the wearer how long they have to live. The QUITBIT (an obvious pun on the popular FitBit fitness performance tracker) tells the user when their time is almost up, sending a notification alerting the person that it is time to start preparing for their final goodbye. Of course, this technology couldn't possibly exist, but the idea serves to help keep funeral planning in mind for all demographics, even the younger crowd who may not have ever thought about it. It's a pretty clever and lighthearted way to approach a subject that nobody enjoys talking or even thinking about, and giving the concept a technological spin should really help the campaign appeal to youngsters. Honestly, UNION have done just about the best they could have done here with a really difficult client. Kudos! The QUITBIT campaign is also supported by numerous other executions including print, rich media and digital banners, and pre-roll video to drive awareness of how good it is to have a plan.
Buzzman – IKEA
Paris-based agency Buzzman has launched a rather surreal campaign for IKEA France, based around the insight that 79% of important decision are made at the dinner table. Each of the spots begins with the aftermath of a decision made at the table (poorly) without the participation of one member of the group. There's a flashback followed by the message that “79% of important decisions are made at the table,” and the tagline “Get back to the table.” It’s a clever execution of the insight, although it could be hard for audiences to follow, particular if they walk in midway through the ad. They are certainly attention-grabbing though, and actually rather creepy in a sort of perverse Wes Anderson way. So typically Swedish then.
