Work of the Week: 08/07/22
It’s endlessly thrilling to see how the creative industry finds new ways to communicate, even using technology that’s been around for centuries. This past week we saw Dole, the fruit brand, communicating directly to The Pope via a letter published in his newspaper of choice – with the message to the head of Catholicism that it’s time to absolve the apple of its sinful baggage. Meanwhile McDonald’s in the UAE is using the medium of outdoor play areas to remind people of the brand power of its arches, providing people with swing sets for children to enjoy.
Plant-based sausage makers Peas of Heaven turned to a good old-fashioned product demonstration, but with a fresh twist. This campaign invited people to order peas, plant them, grow and harvest them before sending the resulting legumes back to be transformed into meat-free sausages.
As beloved Australian soap opera Neighbours comes to an end, Booking.com found another fascinating medium through which to promote its accommodation platform – the famous Ramsay Street itself, which was made available to book as accommodation.
The medium of football cards was also used to powerful effect this week to reveal the unfiltered story of injuries and deaths of migrant workers in Qatar ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Beyond that media innovation, there’ve been heaps more campaigns using classic filmmaking, writing, design and art direction to capture audiences’ attention. We’ve highlighted great work for Bodyform, ManyPets, Apple and Reddit this week too.
Check out our full list of all the week's creative highlights below.
These Football Cards Reveal the Grim Truth Behind the FIFA World Cup in Qatar
Thousands of migrant workers have died or been injured while preparing Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Four months before it begins, a new series of football cards highlight the humans behind the numbers and tell their heart breaking stories. Cards of Qatar is a collaborative project between the journalistic platform Blankspot, the app Forza Football and creative agency Forsman & Bodenfors. At first glance, everything from the portraits, the glossy surface, and the packaging creates the impression of authentic football cards. But at a closer look, the portraits and stories belong to migrant workers in Qatar, each with an unfiltered story of injuries or premature death.
Book a Nostalgic Neighbours Finale Stay on Ramsay Street with Booking.com Experience
Booking.com, the travel brand capitalised on the ending of Australian soap opera ‘Neighbours’ by giving fans the opportunity to book a stay in one of the most iconic homes in Australia. Nestled in the quintessential Aussie cul de sac, 28 Ramsay Street, the fictional residence of Karl and Susan Kennedy will become home for a lucky Neighbours lover. What a way to mark the end of an era.
Playful Pets Get Their Close Up for ManyPets Insurance Campaign
ManyPets, cat and dog insurance brand, launched its first outdoor campaign with Uncommon Creative Studio this week. Like so much of the independent London shop’s out-of-home output, it enhanced the experience of the street or train platform with beautiful pet photography and snappy copywriting, highlighting the importance of taking care of our pets to insure our own happiness.
Bodyform Uses Thermal Imagery to Help Close the Period Sleep Gap
Bodyform has a strong track record of category-defining work combatting taboos and shame around women+'s intimate experiences. From #bloodnormal to Viva La Vulva to #wombstories, their work with AMV BBDO has made progress that we should fight to maintain and expand. This time, the brand dives into the truth of periods at night, beyond the clichés to show “the bleeding, the dreaming, the bloating, the tossing, turning, tiptoeing, the farting and the struggle to sleep soundly”. Directed by Kim Gehrig, the film finds more distinctive and novel ways to represent period blood, including live action, animation and thermal imagery.
Peas of Heaven Lets You Grow Your Own Plant-Based Sausages at Home
They can make sausages out of peas these days. Don’t believe it? This campaign, created by Forsman & Bodenfors for Peas of Heaven will convince you. Now you can order pea seeds, plant them, send the peas to Peas of Heaven, and they'll send back your very own home-grown sausage. You can even choose between chorizo, barbecue sausage or cabanossi. Hap-pea days!
McDonald’s UAE Turns Its Golden Arches into Swings to Celebrate Happy Moments
By reimagining one of the most recognisable brand images in the most playful way, McDonald’s UAE has set up swings across the city of Dubai to spread joy and togetherness. The McDonald’s swings under the iconic Golden Arches are helping hundreds of passers-by in Media City, Internet City, Knowledge Park and Kite Beach to enjoy some playtime, away from the stress of everyday life. Designed by Studio M and Leo Burnett Dubai, the ‘Swings’ campaign uses the brand to improve public spaces and bring joy to people’s lives.
The Apple Watch Takes a Serious Beating in Latest Spot
This is a film you can really feel. To promote the Apple Watch Series 7 puts the gadget to the test to show its durability. MJZ's Craig Gillespie skillfully captures the trials the device can go through in this commercial, depicting a number of different active scenarios in dramatic detail. It really does the job.
Dole Sunshine Company Urges His Holiness Pope Francis to Redeem the Apple from Sin Status
Speaking of Apple, the electronic brand’s fruity namesake has a lot of baggage. Thanks to the concept of original sin, the fruit’s got some negative associations that aren’t entirely fair. To rectify this historic PR disaster, the Dole Sunshine Company (DSC) issued an open letter to His Holiness, Pope Francis, via La Repubblica (his favourite newspaper), seeking absolution for the apple. DSC is asking to redeem the reputation of fruit to celebrate it as the original ‘healthy’ snack instead. A fun innovation by Grey London that brought us joy here at LBB.
Reddit Urges You to ‘Find Your People’ in First-Ever US TV Campaign
R/GA’s latest work for Reddit – and first-ever US national TV buy – draws its inspiration from Reddit’s 100,000+ communities, showcasing the amazing things that can happen when passionate people come together around things they care about. The playful campaign rolling out across TV, digital and OOH in the US and Canada demonstrates Reddit's ability to foster community among people who share niche interests, lightly joking at the expense of the people in our lives who don’t who just don't get why we’re so into that thing we’re into. Intensely relatable stuff.
