Work of the Week: 24/03/23

Icelandair has been urging its customers to book an Iceland stopover ever since the ‘60s. In the early 2000s, the travel destination grew in popularity precisely because of its key location as a rest stop between European and North American destinations, without changing the price of the fare. Looking at the latest research that revealed traveller openness to a stopover had risen since 2019 by nearly 15%, the flag carrier airline of Iceland knew what had to be done.

In a collaboration with Pablo London and Somesuch, it told the story of the stopover traveller - Oliver Wilson. As his Icelandair flight to Paris is about to depart (on which he is the only passenger), the airline’s stewardesses realise that Oliver is nowhere to be found. As the camera treks through some of the most incredible sights Iceland has to offer - revealing unique characters that are all calling for Oliver - we finally find him serenely enjoying an Icelandic waterfall. Finally brought to the airport, he realises - Iceland is so much more than a stopover. 

Vencedor, leading paint brand in Perú, this week launched ‘Celeste’, the film for their newest campaign based on a true story of a recently widowed grandfather battling depression with the message that every colour has a story to tell. The main character is seen moving in with his son and granddaughter, who are determined to help him bring back his cheer. 

Coming at two minutes and 32 seconds, the film aired in full and gave audiences a glimpse into a raw, detailed story of sorrow, grief, family and hope, which people instantly fell in love with. In its culmination, we see the granddaughter go through her late grandmother’s belongings, carefully selecting jewellery, pieces of clothing and photographs, all pointing to one undeniable detail - her grandmother’s love for turquoise. The colour becomes the centrepiece of the film, as her and her father instantly get the idea to paint the walls in it. As the main character sees the way the house is changing, a flood of memories and emotions rushes in, bringing home the message - every colour has a story.

Recently, the arrival of the first treatments of the AIDS virus and the reduction in treatment have given new hope to researchers and medical staff for a fully AIDS-free future. And in 2021, 29% of people in France discovered their HIV status was in an advanced stage of the infection, a figure which has stayed stable. 

Sidaction is a French NGO aiming to give support to people living with HIV, and carries the annual Sidaction 2023 weekend - an annual fundraising event across France taking place over March 24th, 25th and 26th. This year, Sidaction has partnered with The Good Company and HAMLET to create ‘Never This Close’, a campaign film prior to the start of the event.

In the spot we see a couple in a state of attraction, but frozen in time - close, yet still not totally together, as if there is an invisible barrier between them. Then, the copy: “We’ve never been this close to a future without aids. To achieve this, donate on 110 or sidaction.org.”

‘Protect This House’ was brought to life by Under Armour 20 years ago as an iconic phrase which grew into a state of mind. Today it’s back for good. In this new era, the brand is working with sports legends Stephen Curry, Kelsey Plum and Ailyah Boston to send a clear message about future aspirations and meeting today’s athletes where they are. It calls on the new generation to represent the team mentality, because at the end of the day, 'Protect This House' is a mentality that many legendary athletes grew up living, breathing and chanting.

With the help of creative production partner Tool and director Wes Walker, UA’s film portrays the true meaning of being part of a team and the relentless pursuit of something bigger and better than yourself. Wes Walker, director at Tool says, "Sport is spiritual, and the transcendent aspect, the flow state, the inner fire, is the angle I wanted to see represented for Protect This House.”

After winning the account in late 2022, neverland creative has launched their first Age UK project, with one simple message - Age UK knows what to do. Research from the leading charity in the space showed that while people in the UK see it as a compassionate organisation, they are rarely aware of the sheer amount of expertise that Age UK has in order to help the elderly with physical, mental and monetary challenges coming with the later stages of life. 

The 60-second launch film is also split into three 30-second films that focus on each character and their issues, but the theme running throughout is that of the duality of older age and how people tend to view it. While at the start, audiences are greeted with a cheery atmosphere and a warm mood, the second half reveals that each of these characters (based on real stories from Age UK) struggles with the dire reality of existing in today’s world as a vulnerable person. Freezing houses and no money for heating, lack of electricity and total isolation are shown as only a few of the problems older people can face - but Age UK is always able to help.

“I’d like to think we haven’t actually done anything special here. We just looked at the people who already love Balter, and then invited them to sing about it,” says Tom Darlow, creative director at Deloitte Creative - the organisation behind Balter Brewery Company’s new campaign ‘We Love Good Beer’. In fact, it's exactly that - a short musical about the fact that everybody, and we really mean everybody, loves a good beer. Directed by Good Oil’s Dave Wood, the film is special in its simplicity - it ditches familiar tropes about only men knowing why beer is good or diversity quotas, and just simply pays attention to the reality of the fact that everybody out there loves beer... even if some of us like it warm.

Everybody loves a good cliffhanger, so that’s what we’re ending today’s work of the week on. But, lucky you, that one is staying exactly where it is, because as long as Macpac is concerned, together we can weather anything. Created by The Monkeys Melbourne, part of Accenture Song, Macpac’s newest campaign showcases the brand’s high quality and durable gear by showing us a tale of three mountain-climbers literally hanging off a cliff with one Macpac jacket between them. No worries here, though, because they seem to know - there’s no way that one’s tearing.