High Five: Romania
It’s fair to say that advertising is probably the last thing on Eastern Europeans’ minds these days. When one reads daily news about hospitals, maternity wards, shopping centres and residential areas all over Ukraine brutally bombarded by artillery, cruise, thermobaric or hypersonic missiles, and over 10 million people forced to leave their homes, it’s a bit difficult to think of anything else. However, creativity always finds a way and will help us all carry on. That is why it’s worth giving a shoutout to some of the creative highlights of the region, in the hope that peace will arrive soon and life will try to head back to some form of normal...
Tinder - 'The Special Love Operation'
Agency: Jandl Bratislava
I love this cheeky use of Tinder by Jandl Bratislava to deliver a poignant message to those Russian citizens brainwashed by state media to believe that the atrocities unfolding in Ukraine are just a 'special operation' - as Putin put it. Entitled 'The Special Love Operation', it invites Tinder Plus users to change their location to Russia and swipe right there to deliver the shattering truth.
Samusocial - 'Real Life Estate'
Agency: Tribal Worldwide Romania
Samusocial had a bold approach to raise awareness to the rising number of homeless people triggered by the economic downturn brought by the pandemic. They created a mock real estate agency called 'Real Life Estate', which selected various spots used by the homeless and posted them as actual rentals on one of the major real estate portals in Romania.
Tomi Sauces - 'Taste Explosions'
Agency: In-house at Tomi Sauces
Production & Post: Carioca Studio
Copious amounts of craft were used in this appetising series of posters for Tomi Sauces by Carioca Studio in Bucharest featuring explosions of ingredients and lifestyle elements.
ANAIS Association - 'Some Masks Remain'
Agency: Cheil Centrade Romania
Production: Almost Ready
Post: Chainsaw Europe
This stirring real-time campaign hijacked the fact that Romanian authorities decided to lift Covid-19 mask mandates on 9th March - the day after International Women's Day - and rerouted the conversation towards domestic abuse. Hundreds of thousands of Romanian women will continue to have their noses and mouths covered either by the palm of an abusing partner or by their own palm, as they contemplate in anguish the other pandemic: domestic violence and all its forms, from publishing intimate content without consent to prohibiting meetings with friends, from embezzling family income to forbidding access to religious practice or controlling a partner on the pretext of jealousy.
Biz - 'The First NFT Magazine Cover'
Agency: KUBIS Bucharest
Last but not least, I want to applaud this cool initiative which was released yesterday - the first NFT magazine cover ever, for Biz Magazine and The Lions Empire Show. It features a cool futuristic lion named Lionheart and all the earnings will be donated to the NGO Hope and Homes for Children to help Ukrainian refugee kids. You can still click here to bid for the lion on Opensea and help raise more funds.
