The best ads of the month, from Olio, Twitter, Sage Foundation, Philips & Hennessey
After a busy month in creative, The Drum rounds up the best ads that arrived in November.
While November is typically Christmas ads galore, we’ve gathered five regular campaigns that made a mark in the last 30 days.
Cop26 took center stage this month, and so too did various ad campaigns tackling issues related to the climate crisis. One spot in particular comes from food-sharing app Olio, which launched a hard-hitting campaign bringing awareness to the massive issue of household waste in the UK.
The emotive spot was created by Hell Yeah, an agency that prides itself on working with brands that want a positive future. A vast, dirty and overcrowded rubbish dump provides an eye-opening backdrop to the ad, with a group of children in the foreground solemnly singing Louis Armstrong’s 1967 single What a Wonderful World.
As it progresses viewers see discarded toys, bags and TVs on a landfill site in Wales, shortly before the camera eventually pans out to reveal the enormity of the issue in just one single landfill.
Another campaign pushing thought-provoking work is ‘Hope Dies Last’ by Sage Foundation and One Tree Planted. This powerful short film featuring the Huni Kuin people of Brazil sends a warning to the western world during Cop26: nature is not for sale.
The spot aspires to give a voice to the many indigenous tribes that call the Amazon home and have devastatingly witnessed firsthand the effects of climate change on their habitat.
Coinciding with the Cop26 conference in Glasgow, Sage Foundation wanted to share a message from the Huni Kuin Tribe, who – despite living on the frontline of this crisis – want to offer a glimmer of optimism that it’s not too late to tackle this issue by sharing their mantra of ‘Hope Dies Last.’
November really is a month of thinking about others. Cognac distiller Hennessy welcomed people from all walks of life to take a seat at its table and celebrate the beauty of sharing stories with each other.
‘Take a Seat’ highlights that often all it takes is hearing a different point of view to feel inspired, and by simply changing the table you’re sitting at you can gain a whole new perspective.
Produced in collaboration with long-time creative partner Droga5, the film is part of the wider ‘More is Made by the Many’ platform that celebrates the expansion of self through the continued pursuit of contrasting points of view, encouraging Hennessy drinkers to invite new ideas and beliefs into their lives.
And, of course, let’s not forget about Movember. Philips and creative agency Dept joined forces to debut ‘Right Under Your Nose,’ a lighthearted campaign that aims to kick-start some serious conversations around men’s health.
This new digital campaign, shot by acclaimed director Augusto Zapiola, showcased situations from a man hanging upside down apparently checking his balls to two men in a doctor’s waiting room discussing changes to their bodies and two bowling alley buddies analyzing cancer statistics.
Finally, in a bid to promote Twitter Blue, the social media giant rolled out a series of retro-inspired infomercials starring comedians and internet celebrities Dana Donnelly, Meg Stalter, Broman and Prance.
The tongue-in-cheek jazzercise-style videos encourage users to “flex those Twitter fingers and take it to the next level” by joining its premium subscription service for $2.99 a month.
Taking on the role of narrator, Meg Stalter tells viewers: “Now tweet, and undo. It’s exercise but it’s also staring at your phone – which is what I like to do.” This is a humorous nod to the new ‘Undo’ button, which gives you the option to make edits on posts up to 60 seconds before it’s public.
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