Hasta La Motion!

McDonald’s in Hong Kong is encouraging people to rediscover the magic of Chinese New Year (CNY) with a new commercial bringing in the Year of the Rooster. The 60 second ad sets out to remind viewers what CNY felt like when they were children. Too often the rituals around the festival lose its fascination as people grow older, and repetition, routine and chores wear down the magic they once experienced as children. The spot opens on a CNY parade – a spectacular show of colour and sound – and leads up to a show-stopping moment when a little girl shares her McDonald’s fries with the dancing lion, proving the power of small gestures to make a big difference. The TVC launched in mid-January as part of the McDonald’s Prosperity advertising campaign, and is supported in print. McDonald’s in Singapore has launched a similar CNY commercial, addressing the question, “Do dragons fly?” by focusing on the flying of kites.

“Despite CNY being one of the most important festivals for family traditions, for many people it’s the little things that make it most memorable. That’s why our spot too had to be little – a little human story. We basically followed DDB Worldwide Chairman Emeritus Keith Reinhard’s legendary, yet timeless, creative formula: a simple story, with a surprise, and a smile at the end,” said Andreas Krasser, Head of Strategy and Innovation at DDB Group Hong Kong.

“As a brand, we have a strong belief in the heartland values of our local community, and our role in creating happy moments – one smile at a time,” said Randy Lai, Managing Director at McDonald’s Hong Kong. “DDB did a fantastic job of putting together a beautiful TV spot that’s reminiscent of the sheer joy we experienced as children during CNY.”

Chinese New Year McDonalds Credits

The Prosperity Brand campaign was developed at DDB Group Hong Kong and DDB Sydney by DDB Asia VP regional director Peter Rodenbeck, head of strategy and innovation Andreas Krasser, creative director Paul Yu, associate creative director Ben Ling, group creative director O Poon, DDB Sydney creative partner Steve Jackson, copywriters Owen Bryson and Shane Geffen, art director Trong Ronakiat, agency producer Denise Wong, head of broadcast Annie Tong, business director Noel Yuen, senior account manager Jim Leung.

Filming was shot by director Maisy Choi via SuchFilms.

adidas Originals is running “Original is never finished”, a commercial tying the Frank Sinatra classic song “My Way” with arty performances by visionaries from the worlds of music, skate, sport, style and art. adidas Originals is introducing EQT footwear, a celebrated icon from the 1990s, redefined for a new generation. The “Original is never finished” film explores the idea of reinventing the past to create meaning for a new generation. ‘Original is never finished’ delivers a visual representation bringing to life the idea that recreating in your own way will always be entirely original. In the scene “The Birth of Venus”, artist/photographer Petra Collins reinvents a symbolic icon of beauty. Collins’ subversive, striking visual sequence creates a new relevancy for Botticelli’s infamous work of art. In another scene, rapper and songwriter Snoop Dogg recreates his very own “Doggystyle” album cover with a trippy chase scene, while also making a statement on gender equality in hip hop culture by swapping the roles of his iconic protagonists. Skate legend Gonz appears alongside French professional skater Lucas Puig in “Lucas & The Gonz”, who both take to the streets in their own way. Legendary basketball icon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar passes the torch to one of the future, Brandon Ingram in “Raining Basketballs”. Dev Hynes provides a nod to reflections of the past in his choreographed sequence in “Mirrors”. The brand’s iconic product, NMDs, is repurposed into masks by Anonymous to create new meaning as seen in “Sneakerheads”. The underlying theme remains the same — Original is never finished.

“Everything we do for adidas Originals is a work in progress, as true creativity is never finished”, says Alegra O’Hare, VP of Global Communications adidas Originals & Core. “We are constantly challenging ourselves and breaking down the boundaries that limit imagination; we hope to inspire all creators to do the same. We first raised this idea in 2015 through our superstar work, questioning the very meaning of the word. We then continued with the notion of the current dystopian future, by motivating consumers to take future into their own hands and create it. Now with original, probably the most important and centric concept to our brand’s ethos, we elevate the trefoil’s storytelling, as we look into what it really means to be original, questioning its very essence.”

adidas Original is never finished Credits

The adidas Original is never finished campaign was developed at Johannes Leonardo by chief creative officers Jan Jacobs, Leo Premutico, creative directors Ferdinando Verderi, Wesley Phelan, Matthew Edwards, copywriter Jeph Burton, art director Hunter Hampton, head of integrated production Dana May, executive producer Maria Perez, producers Tina Diep, Stine Moisen, sr, Doug Moffitt, production coordinator Alexandra Olivo, head of strategy Mark Aronson, and strategist Mine Cakmak, group account director Sam McCallum, account director Dom Dalton, account supervisor Gulru Soylu.

Filming was shot by director Terence Neale via RSA Films with executive producers Jules Daly and Paul Kawasaki, producer Rozanne Rocha-Gray, director of photography Alexis Zabe. Local work in Cape Town was produced at Egg Films by executive producer Colin Howard and producer Roxanne Rocha-Gray.

Editing was done at Exile by lead editor Shane Reid, editors Jay McConville, Travis Moore, executive producers Sasha Hirschfeld, Carol Lynn Weaver, and head of production Melanie Gagliano, head of production.

Visual effects were produced at Blacksmith by VFX supervisor/2D lead Iwan Zwarts, 2D compositors Daniel Morris, Liz Lyons, 3D lead artist Tom Bussell, 3d artist Ylli Orana, executive producer Charlotte Arnold, and producer Megan Sweet. Rotoscoping was done at Trace VFX.

Colorist was Tom Poole at Company 3 with producer Clare Movshon.

Sound was designed at Q Department by executive producer Zack Rice and producer Guin Frehling. Audio post was done at Sonic Union by sound engineer Steve Rosen, executive producer Justine Cortale, and producer Patrick Sullivan.

The soundtrack, “My Way”, was written as a French song, “Comme d’habitude” by Claude Francois, Jacque Revaux, and Gilles Thibaut before being written for Frank Sinatra by Paul Anka, published by BMG, and released by Universal Music Enterprise. Music was supervised by adidas global music manager Daniel Cross, remixed at Human by creative lead/music director Morgan Visconti, creative lead/sound designer Michael Jurasits, executive producer James Dean Wells, composer/arranger James Leibow.

Photography was by Hayden Phipps, Cape Town, Dan Regan and Atiba Jefferson, Los Angeles.

Snoop Dogg in “Doggystyle”, Stormzy in “Trap Syrup”, Mabel in “Tunnel”, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar & Brandon Ingram in “Raining Basketballs”, Dej Loaf in “Inflated”, Dev Hynes in “Mirrors”, Gonz and Lucas Puig in “Lucas & The Gonz”, Petra Collins in “The Birth of Venus”, “Sneakerheads” and “Essential Squad”.

Mars China is promoting Dove (De Fu) chocolate in a commercial connecting Chinese New Year with intergenerational relationships. The 5-minute film tells the story of a young woman (Guan Xiao Tong) and her mother, their annual Chinese New Year ritual, and their changing relationship as they grow older. Their family greeting, “Nian nian de fu”, could be heard as “Good Fortune every year” or “Dove every year”. The commercial culminates in a touching reunion in which Dove chocolate and calligraphy is used to express their love.

The campaign was inspired by insights which revealed a growing emotional disconnect within families as Chinese people struggle to show affection and emotion, especially to their parents. The campaign sees a shift in strategy for Dove, which usually targets young independent women with its advertising. This campaign aims to drive growth in volume and penetration for the brand by appealing to a broader audience.

Arthur Tsang, CCO, BBDO Beijing, said, “This year, we wanted to tell the story of everyone; the importance of family love and how it lingers no matter how distant we become as life carries us away from our parents. Being headstrong, feisty and independent is one thing, but what is it as young people that we are really rebelling against? Our goal was simply to touch upon this nerve and remind our audience, there’s always someone that loves you back home.”

Thomas Delabriere, vice president, marketing, Mars China said, “This Chinese New Year, Dove wants to be the most talked about campaign for a spot that really touches people’s hearts.”

BBDO Beijing ECD Howard Mok said, “We have created the “Dove Girl” for more than 2 decades; she has always been an independent, witty and charming girl. However, this year, she misses home. We changed the Dove girl’s image to make it a reflection of everyone; she connected the family and the ritual of Chinese New Year. Through the Dove chocolate box, which contained all of the “Fu” calligraphy over the years, it not only deeply connected the brand and ‘Nian nian De Fu’, but also created a unique symbol of blessing Chinese New Year with chocolate.”

Credits

The Dove New Year campaign was developed at BBDO Beijing by chief creative officer Arthur Tsang, executive creative director/art director Howard Mok, group creative director/art director Gin Tee, copywriters Arthur Tsang, Bi Rui Zhang, Ray Xu, art directors Kevin Ni, Roy Yang, managing director Yeat Mung Koo, executive producer Max Lee, account director Joshua Teong, senior planner Jasmine Lai, account management team Jamie Wang, Sophie Hou, working with Mars China marketing VP Thomas Delabriere, marketing directors Jelina Wan and Bobo Chen, and marketing manager Lu Fu.

Filming was shot by director David Tsui via Moviola Productions with producer Christine Ip.

Mars has released Skittles Romance, a commercial designed for viewing during the 2017 Super Bowl game. The Skittles Romance commercial features a lovesick young man using Skittles to get a girl’s attention through her bedroom window. Katie is in her room making the most of his persistence, along with her parents, and some unexpected guests.

Skittles Romance Credits

The Skittles Romance campaign was developed at adam&eveDDB by chief creative officer Richard Brim, creative director Dan Fisher, creative Till Diestel, head of integrated production Matt Craigie Atherton, agency producer Cat Reynolds, head of planning Jessica Lovell, senior planner David Mortimer, managing partner Fiona McArthur, business director Robbie Black, account director Brittany Lippett, account director Matt Dankis, account managers Holly Fletcher and Josh Edwards.

Media was handled at Mediacom/Starcom.

Filmming was shot by director Harold Einstein via Outsider with director of photography Glynn Speeckaert, executive producer Richard Packer and producer Eric Liney.

Editor was Mark Edinoff at Work Editorial with assistant editor Jamie Hodgson.

Post production was done at The Mill by executive producer Alex Fitzgerald, producers Kirsty Ratcliffe, Tim Lyall, Anastasia von Rahl, shoot supervisor Tim Davies, 2D lead artists Gareth Brannan, Gary Driver, 2D artists Joseph Tang, Jeanette Eiternes, Brad Wood, Online Artists: David Wishart, George Rockliffe, motion graphics team Rajinder Davsi and Kwok Fung Lam, colourist Seamus O’Kane, producers Alex Fitzgerald and Kirsty Ratcliffe.

Audio post production was done at Factory Studios by audio engineer Jack Hallett.

TV2 in Denmark has launched “Alt Det Vi Deler” (All that we share), a commercial featuring 80 Danes from all walks of life, a challenge to growing attitudes of discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity in Denmark and across the world. The participants were given 40 questions to consider before filming. Throughout the shoot they were invited to cluster according to their responses. There was no requirement that they stick to their answers on the day of filming. The film was released on the same day that President Trump issued his executive order, “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States”. The commercial celebrates the concept of a tolerant and connected society in Denmark.

All that we share Transcript

It’s easy to put people in boxes. There’s us. And there’s them. The high earners. And those just getting by. Those we trust. And those we avoid. There’s the new Danes. And those who have always been here. The people from the countryside. And those who have never seen a cow. The religious. And the confident. There are those we share something with. And those we don’t share something with.

Welcome. I am going to ask you some questions today. Some might be a bit personal – but I hope you will answer them honestly. Who in this room was the class clown? Who are step parents? And then there’s suddenly us. We who believe in life after death. We who have seen a UFO. And all of us who love to dance. We who have been bullied. And we who have bullied others. And then there’s us who had sex this past week. We who are brokenhearted. We who are madly in love. We who feel lonely. We who are bisexual. And we who acknowledge the courage of others. We who have found the meaning of life. And those of us who have saved a life. And then there’s all of us who just love Denmark. So maybe there’s more that brings us together than we think. TV2Danmark All that we share.

All That We Share Credits

The TV2 All That We Share campaign was developed at &Co, Copenhagen.

Filming was shot by director Asger Leth via Moland Film.

Music, “Heartfelt Universe” by Michael Sajic, was licensed through Upright Music and Bibliotheque Music.