High Five US: July 2019
High Five has been a mainstay of our UK coverage for some time now. Each month Europe editor Alex Reeves pitches in with his five favourite pieces of British work (he thought July was totally 'perf').
Anyway, this month sees the launch of High Five US! Every month from here on in, Americas editor Addison Capper will be dishing up his five favourites from the month before.
Without further ado!
VW - A New Mission
Johannes Leonardo's second big spot for Volkswagen of America marked the 50th anniversary of the moon landings. Part of its 'Drive Bigger' campaign, 'A New Mission' tapped into the cultural similarities and significance of humans walking on the moon and environmental consciousness in 2019. The spot highlights the unification that the 1969 space mission brought around the world via striking, original footage. It's all soundtracked by David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' and, once you hear it, you realise that no other track would ever have fitted so perfectly. The print campaign is also a real pearler.
Reebok x Cardi B - Nails
When an Andreas Nilsson ad lands in my inbox it never fails to excite, and the Swedish king of weird absolutely nailed it with this gem for Reebok (I interviewed him about it here). The film features Cardi B undergoing one helluva perm before her pal notices that the laces on her Reeboks are untied. Rather than bending down (and jeopardising said perm) her nails begin to grow before reaching the ground and re-tying the laces. The agency here was Venables Bell & Partners. Nailed it.
Nike - Never Stop Winning
At its core, this Nike spot was a fitting conclusion to the Women's World Cup. But on top of just celebrating the USA's fourth World Cup win, there's deeper meaning to Never Stop Winning. As it progresses, images of people holding placards reading things like "EQUAL RIGHTS" appear and the voiceover speaks of how "women will conquer more than just the soccer field". It also singles out Megan Rapinoe, the team's captain who has been in the press recently due to her vocal opinions on Donald Trump's presidency.
Twizzlers - Chew On It
Some decisions in life require a good, hard think. The one you have to chew on. And what's the best thing to chew? Unsurprisingly, Twizzlers reckons its Twizzlers. This amusing campaign from Droga5 and Furlined's Kristoffer Borgli lays out three scenarios in which characters chew over all manner of pressing decisions.
Nissan - World of Distractions
MJZ director Tom Kuntz offers his unique view on society's obsession with smartphones in this enticing film for a car's safety features. The spot, which was created by TBWA\Chiat\Day NY, sees the Nissan Rogue effortlessly navigate a navigate a world where the entire population has its face planted firmly in its phone. It's an ad for an impressive but dangerously dull feature of a vehicle. In the wrong hands it's a snoozefest, but in Tom's it's anything but.
