Work of the Week: 19/05/23

Ahead of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Apple is once again proving its rightful place in the discussion around the topic of accessibility in tech. Partnering with two creators within the disabled community, Ian Treherne and Esmé Moore, the brand is rolling out a series of mesmerising shot-on-iPhone portraits using the brand's accessibility features. The work can be seen on the @apple Instagram handle and comes following the tech giant’s announcement of new software features for cognitive, vision, hearing and mobility accessibility, as well as tools for non-verbal individuals or those at risk of losing their ability to speak.

It’s exam season! And even those of us who haven’t taken an exam recently remember how anxiety-inducing that can be. In fact, according to a YouGov survey of UK adults, over 72% of UK parents with children aged 14-18 years say that exam stress is causing their kids concern. This is why ITV and STV’s mental health campaign, 'Britain Get Talking', came back with its ‘No Silence Please’ iteration, created by Uncommon. In the form of classic exam papers, the campaign touches on the effects that school-related anxieties can have on individuals. Heart pounding, refusal to speak and stomach issues are only a handful of the symptoms. The campaign urges audiences to speak about it with their kids and friends, by signposting them to its website (itv.com/BritainGetTalking) for further support to help ease the stress and create a more mindful learning environment.

This week, Danish beer brand Ceres celebrated its 60th birthday with a TV and social campaign: ‘Our Street’. The nostalgic film is running across Italian TV channels and the brand’s socials and tugs on the heartstrings of those who know that drinking beer is all about being together. The brand’s history, immersed in youth and street culture, shines through the retro cinematography, handheld camera and remembers its own history, starting in Genova’s streets in the ‘60s. Ending on a heartfelt note - ‘The street made us who we are today’ - Ceres’ campaign touches on the timelessness of what three generations of beer lovers have created.

If mother nature could talk, she would approve of Momentum Energy - at least according to the turtles. In the Australian green energy retailer’s new campaign, ‘Nature Approves’, endangered wildlife species find their way to Momentum-using Aussies to thank them for their green switch. “Hi Bob… I just dropped in to say, thank you,” says a giant sea turtle, after swimming out of Bob’s bubble bath, before heading back to sea. 

When it comes to self-irony, South Africa is unbeatable, and Tropika, the country’s favourite juice brand, doesn’t betray tradition. In its new ‘Smoooth’ campaign we see exactly that - a man, at his driving test, and a seemingly unimpressed instructor. That is, until she is face to face with his smoooth attitude - the antidote to any misfortune. And, she ends up with an ice-cold Tropika in hand. Just the right ending to a perfectly smooth driving exam. The tongue-in-cheek film builds on Tropika’s relation to the country’s youth and its own four-decade long history of consumer love.

To bring a close to this week’s best work is Cara Delevingne, spraying her face with a face mist made from industrial waste water. The actress and model has teamed up with leading European energy company Vattenfall to showcase ‘The Industrial Emissions Face Mist’. Led by creative agency NORD DDB, the campaign uses beauty marketing tropes to promote the potential industry-powering effects of fossil-free hydrogen (a fuel that emits water instead of carbon dioxide when used). While not available to buy, the facial product serves as a metaphor for the need for change on a global level, as well as the benefits of a fossil free future.