Work Of The Week

Some Halloween favourites, and early Christmas ads (if there's such a thing), here is a round up of our favourites campaigns this week.

'Best Friends' for Uber by Mother

Uber has unveiled a new multi-channel campaign for Uber One, starring Hollywood icon Robert De Niro and Sex Education star Asa Butterfield. Directed by David Shane, the piece features De Niro and Butterfield forming an unlikely friendship after bonding over their uniquely shared passion for 'eating food and going places'. The campaign - developed by creative agency Mother London will be featured across TV, BVOD, cinema, and digital platforms, featuring cuts ranging from six seconds to longer formats.

'So Here We Are' for EE and Bloc Party by Saatchi and Saatchi UK

EE and British rock band, Bloc Party, have teamed up to release the brand's new TVC, Freedom, as the new official music video for the band’s iconic 2005 track, So Here We Are. This follows the launch of new EE earlier this month. It launched on Spotify as the track’s official canvas and across YouTube and social, the advert – portraying the experiences and challenges of modern-day teenagers and set to Bloc Party’s well-loved track and now operates as a music video, with the original edit updated to close on new text: ‘Bloc Party x EE 2023’.

'Life With More Chances' for Paddy Power by BBH

Featuring Paddy Power regulars Abbey Clancy, Peter Crouch, and Shaun Williamson, the film takes a tongue-in-cheek look at those sliding door moments that can define peoples lives, or even the path of history. The campaign is designed to engage and entertain gamers who enjoy playing online versions of casino favourites like roulette, blackjack, poker and slot machines. BBH has again injected Paddy Power’s famously mischievous spirit into the work, bringing in existing and new audiences with its trademark aping of celebrity and sports culture.

'Before You Ask' for RNIB by The&Partnership

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and The&Partnership have launched a new campaign ‘Before You Ask’, which is part of a wider ‘See The Person, Not the Sight Loss’ initiative. At the heart of the campaign sits a series of short films, directed by Chris Balmond at Outsider. The films aim to banish myths around what it is like to live with sight loss. Viewers are invited to see blind and partially sighted people in everyday relatable experiences.

'Good Things Come Knocking' for People’s Postcode Lottery by VMLY&R

People’s Postcode Lottery’s has launched the second phase of its 'Good Things Come Knocking' marketing campaign with its most significant Q4 media spend to date. The multi-million-pound campaign is a strategic move by People’s Postcode Lottery to move away from its historical cheque reveals on doorsteps to drive consideration with new audiences. Written and created by VMLY&R, the campaign narrative now focuses on celebrating the tangible outcomes that can be achieved for both winners and good causes. The players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised £1.2 billion for charities and good causes since its inception.

'Face of the Future' for EY by Ogilvy UK

Professional services organisation EY has launched a fully integrated marketing campaign entitled 'The Face of the Future'. Through this campaign EY promotes its recently launched unifying artificial intelligence (AI) platform, EY.ai, highlighting the need to put humans at the center of the AI transformation to help deliver on the exponential value the technology provides. Against a backdrop of real-world business, governmental and societal concerns around the adoption of AI, 'The Face of the Future' is an assertion of the EY belief that confidence in AI needs to be instilled by prioritising a people-first approach.

Halloween Favourites

'Monster Approved' for Haribo by Edelman UK

Kids put in so much effort with their trick-or-treat costumes. However, research shows that grown-ups are slacking with sweets. To stand up for children on Halloween, Haribo has created the Halloween Monster Approved symbol, representing “Fair Sweets for Trick or Treats”. The badge can be found in corner shops to help grownups pick up the good stuff, and it’s being launched with a helpful Public Service Announcement social video where adorable Halloween monsters put their foot down once and for all.

'Nightmare on Market Street' for Morrisons by Leo Burnett

This Halloween, Morrisons invites the nation to treat themselves to the perfect night in with the afterlife with its new Nightmare on Market Street Cheese, complete with a Morrisons ‘Ouija’ Cheeseboard. In its latest social-first campaign, Morrisons showcases its Nightmare on Market Street cheese, a sinister spin on its Market Street range, alongside a one-off social giveaway of a Morrisons 'Ouija' Cheeseboard.

Meta 'Quest 3 Thrillboards' by AMV BBDO

Meta’s Reality Labs unveiled its disruptive, fully immersive, ‘Halloween Thrillboards’ in the heart of Shoreditch, to mark the launch of the Meta Quest 3 and as part of their ‘Expand Your World’ consumer campaign running until the end of the year. Flipping the script on traditional 2D content, and the traditional 2D OOH that promotes it, this exciting activation offers people the chance to step into a billboard and experience the worlds of two huge entertainment franchises available as games on the headset: Ghostbusters and The Walking Dead, blurring the lines between the real and the virtual. Just like the new mixed-reality headset.

It's beginning to feel a lot like...:

'Love Thismas (Not Thatmas)' for M&S by Mother

With less than two months to go until the big day, M&S has unveiled its Christmas Clothing & Home campaign for 2023 created by newly appointed creative agency Mother and director Ally Pankiw. Celebrating the honest truth of Christmas, the campaign is inspired by the insight that, for many, it can be a challenge striking the balance between celebrating the things we love about the holidays, and taking on some things we might not enjoy as much but feel obliged to do anyway. To bring this to life, this campaign invites viewers to embrace only the things they love about Christmas (and skip those they do not). The campaign line 'Love Thismas (Not Thatmas)' encourages people to join in, deciding what makes Christmas work best for them.

'This Christmas, There’s More To Argos' by The&Partnership

Toy duo Connie and Trevor have returned to the small screen to be the stars of Argos’ advertising campaign this Christmas, showcasing the range of brands and gifts on offer from the retailer this festive season. The hero film shows Connie on a dance across a table on Christmas Eve as she struggles to contain her excitement in anticipation of the big day.The tale, a modern day take on the classic ‘toys come to life’ narrative, builds on Argos’s brand platform - ‘There’s More To Argos’ - which launched earlier this year.

‘Bunny saves Christmas’ for Duracell by Wunderman Thompson UK

Battery brand Duracell has unveiled ‘Bunny saves Christmas’, a new integrated campaign from Wunderman Thompson UK, and Bunny’s first festive outing in half a decade. The festive ad promotes the Duracell Optimum battery’s performance which hopes to ensure that the slightest thing does not affect a magical family Christmas. The campaign will run throughout the festive season, until the end of December, with activity live across EMEA and South America.

'Let’s Make It Sparkle' for Very by The Gate

Online retailer Very has unveiled the brand platform ‘Let’s Make It Sparkle’ through its Christmas campaign, positioning itself and its customers as vibrant, pink flamingos to encourage customers to transform everyday experiences into 'something wonderful'. The new creative platform and Christmas campaign, developed by The Gate, brings to life Very’s revamped brand strategy; ‘there’s good, and there’s Very good’.  Grounded in audience insight, the new brand platform is built to deliver success over the short and long term. Following their debut in the Christmas ad, the flamingos hope to infuse the brand with rich personality and excitement to drive brand love and recognition.

'Embrace Your Power' for Avon by Wunderman Thompson UK

Avon has debuted its first ever Christmas advertising campaign with a 45-second advert, which celebrates its new brand platform, and call-to-arms, 'Embrace Your Power'. With creating positive change for women at the heart of Avon, its new campaign is calling on consumers to not only gift with love this Christmas, but gift with power – the power of confidence, the power of self-love, the power of changing the lives of women everywhere, this festive season and beyond. An uplifting and joyful piece created by Wunderman Thompson, the TV spot takes us on a journey as we see women across the world gifting to each other and getting ready for some fun on Christmas Eve.