B&Q Makes Life's Big Changes Simple in Striking Film from Uncommon

Today, Uncommon launch a new brand campaign for the UK’s leading home improvement and garden retailer B&Q, titled ‘Change. Made Easier.’ The new work follows the success of ‘Build a Life’, which introduced the brand’s belief that anyone can change their home to make life better. The latest campaign from Uncommon builds on that strategy, showcasing how the brand makes it easy for homes to keep pace when changes happen in life.

B&Q’s mission is to give customers the power to act whenever life strikes; to make the changes they need at a speed that works for them. To do this B&Q knows it needs to be fast, efficient, available, and convenient. This can only be made possible through DIY.com and an unmatched network of over 300 stores - together they give customers access to the Click & Collect service on 28,000 items and home delivery service on 35,000. Here to help with the big stuff too, bulk delivery is available, and bathrooms and kitchens can be designed, financed, and installed via local stores.

To launch the new campaign ‘Change. Made Easier.’ comes an epic 90’ film titled ‘Flip’, showing a woman flip-her-house-beautiful, as she takes control of the exciting arrival of a new baby. We open to see our Mum sitting in the family’s spare box room, cluttered with all the usual bits and bobs that haven’t found a place just yet, she stares down at the positive pregnancy test. Her eyes glint with equal hope and concern of the unknown ahead as she exhales a deep breath. Her partner enters the room with a cup of tea, she quickly hides the test as she gathers her thoughts.

We then hear the opening piano interlude, from David Bowie’s iconic track ‘Sound and Vision’, as our protagonist begins to move through her home with this news at the forefront of her mind. She looks around her house, as her son and partner sit at the kitchen table playing at Breakfast time, she knows change needs to happen ahead of welcoming her child to the world. As she looks down at her phone, she smiles as she proactively and seamlessly clicks to start that process in motion with B&Q, through the brand’s own DIY app. The shadows from outside begin to spill through the window, as we see her home begin, to literally and figuratively, flip.

Controlled chaos unfolds around her and her family; books fall from their shelves, the kitchen table slides to the back wall, pots and pans fall from every cupboard. Our protagonist doesn’t seem fazed — she moves towards it. Elegantly climbing out of the kitchen window waving to her partner and son — the house is now turned 180 degrees. She climbs effortlessly to the top of the garden, with the support of a garden hose and stepping stones, she sits on the bed of soil from her garden’s roots as the tracks pauses, we hear the distant sound of children playing; she has a moment to take it all in as looks across the neighbouring homes from high above.

With confidence and ease she slides down the family’s now refreshed garden, back through the window into their newly designed open kitchen and living area. She makes her way back over to the spare room, opening the door, where we now see a nursery. She excitedly now shares the news to her family: ‘I’m pregnant.’ Her partner gushes with pride and goes to show his support as their family embark on this next chapter — we see the couple embrace through the door frame of their soon-to-be baby’s new room.

We pan out on the surrounding landscape, to see other neighbouring homes transforming in this same flip motion. The film finishes on the poignant copy: ‘Change. Made Easier.’ symbolising change in life moments made easier through B&Q’s incredible convenience offering in app, in-store and online.

Chris Graham, B&Q director of marketing said: “Today, as the world opens up, change continues to be all around us. Adapting to that change isn’t always easy and when it comes to home improvement our customers have less and less time to make the changes they need. Almost a third of consumers tell us that time is a key barrier for them. At B&Q, we’re on a mission to ensure that improving a home and building a life with B&Q is easy and convenient — whether via our stores, our app or online at DIY.com.

It has been amazing working with the team on this project. The Flip concept connected with us immediately — telling a story that is close to our hearts, a story of life, a story of change. It’s home at the speed of life”

Nils Leonard, co-founder, Uncommon Creative Studio added: “Nobody just wakes up and decides to improve their home. Life happens, things change, and your home needs to change with them.

B&Q enables us to do just that with ease. This film is a powerful story of change, made easy, all captured in one beautiful moment.

Uncommon wanted to take our partnership with this iconic British brand to a new level with this campaign, and we wanted to work with the best British talent to realise it. David Bowie is the soundtrack to the excellent Oscar Hudson’s vision capturing a moment of change, made easy.”

The craft of the production was brought to bear with director Oscar Hudson through Pulse Films — best known for his award-winning music videos for the likes of Bonobo and Radiohead and commercial work for Apple. The film was shot entirely in-camera — after numerous models, 3D builds, and several practice set builds — the 24-ton rotating set came to life.

The house itself was built to fit in a football stadium, as no regular studios has a large enough capacity, as at its highest point the double-sided house was over six storeys. The final set build was twice as big as Stanley Kubrick’s rotating spaceship in 2001. Not only that, the actors involved in the film felt the means of gravity whilst shooting, making their movements look natural and even poetic with our rock-climbing trained actress.

The work launches on Saturday night during ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent and will run across TV, VOD and cinema for one month. The work will be supported by a thought provoking iconic digital outdoor and print campaign in the coming weeks — stay tuned.