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11 17 20
Another installment of the under appreciated “Behind the Mac” advertising campaign debuted during Apple‘s “One More Thing” special event last week. The new advertising spot again featured celebrities, musicians, journallists or notable people who use the machine to create music, television, movies and more. Set to Raury’s “Take Back the Power,” the ad transitions between photographs and video clips of Kendrick Lamar, Gloria Steinem, Billie Eilish, RuPaul, Tarana Burke, Spike Lee, Stephen Colbert, Takashi Murakami, Iris Apfel, Saul Perlmutter and Lisa Simpson. They are all featured using a Mac (surprise, surprise) and according to Apple, have all participated in the commercial “honor” SMASH.org, an organization that seeks to build a diverse tech workforce by providing equal access to STEM for students of color. The commercial is another typically beautifully produced spot from the tech giant. We especially like the music and voiceover, “There’s a certain kind of person who doesn’t take no for an answer. They don’t walk in quietly. They parade in, trailblazing, eyebrow-raising, status quo-breaking, grazing greatness, braving hatred and taking up space. Never got a set at the table so we can’t sit and behave. We’d rather defy the rules and amaze. There’s a certain kind of person who doesn’t wait for greatness. They make it.” Yes, and btw, we love our new Macbook Pros…
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11 04 20
After launching full-coverage swimsuits and hijabs to help make swimming more inclusive, Nike has just debuted a new Victory Swim ad that is another inspiring piece of advertising. The ad by longtime agency Wieden + Kennedy begins with a mom teaching her young daughter how to swim. It then cuts to women diving into pools, strapping into scuba gear, surfing the waves, and rowing along the water, showing all the places you can go and things you can experience when you learn to take that first plunge. As the daughter swims away on her own, her mom declares, “Don’t stop now!” Beautifully shot and scripted in signature Nike style. Empowering is a great thing these days. Girl power!
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10 31 20
Today, Google has replaced their homepage logo with a signature brand “doogle” that informs people exactly how to vote. The new modified logo depicts a variety of traditional pin buttons encouraging you to “Go Vote” in Tuesday’s election. Clicking the artwork brings you to a “#election2020” tool providing all of the important dates and deadlines for your state, along with guidelines on voter eligibility. All of the information in Google’s tool comes courtesy of the website HowTo.vote, maintained by Democracy Works, “a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the status quo.” Although we have never been big fans of the aesthetic of these Google adapted logos, the company should be applauded for its nonpartisan effort here. Hopefully, given the search giant’s massive reach, the impact will be noteworthy. We hope everyone either has voted already or will vote in the next few days. And please, encourage love ones and others in your circle to do the same.
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10 25 20
We love this recent promotional campaign for Swedish public transport operator Västtrafik to create social distancing for commuting passengers. The “No Douche Bag” serves as a solution to this, presenting as a graphic tote bag that kindly asks people to sit elsewhere. The tote bright yellow and black and with a striped pattern resembling barricade tape. They signal warning, but as a contrast, the text politely reads, “I’d love to sit next to you, just not right now. Thank you for keeping your distance.” This simple reminder is another way of encouraging individuals to take personal responsibility and practice social distancing. Created by Forsman & Bodenfors, Sweden. Reinforcing key messages of public policy in a simple, clever and direct way is undeniably, a very good thing…
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10 22 20
One of the better positive ads by the Biden campaign. Narrated in the comforting, raspy drawl of actor Sam Elliott. “Joe Biden doesn’t need everyone in this country to always agree,” he says. “Just to agree we all love this country, and go from there.” Old-school patriotic values but in a sea of negative craziness and misinformation, we welcome the cinematic call to return to American values. Production values aside, the spot is a well-crafted message and a welcome ray of hope.
