Elvie // Good
To mark the launch of the world’s first wearable breast pump, tech start-up Elvie released a tongue-in-cheek music video of mums dancing in a barn among cows. Why? Because, as the ad suggests, 100% of women feel like cows when they breastfeed.
The new Elvie breast pump, however, free of wires or tubes, offers a new sense of liberation to women, who no longer have to be hooked up to noisy milk-pumping devices. Revolutionary!
The ad’s success stems from the fact that it successfully breaks down the taboos around women’s health. And for a tech product, not having to go through the conventional dull tech demonstration is always a good thing!
Stay tuned until the end of the ad for the twist: these women have been pumping milk the entire time they were pumping it up and we didn’t even notice. I’ll say it again, revolutionary.
Created by the aptly-named agency Mother, the film was released in the UK and the US. It was directed by recent-mother Fiona Jane Burgess. – Cécile, Strategist
Diesel // Good
In terms of advertising, Diesel is probably one of the most socially aware brands of the past 10 years. With each campaign that passes then continue to show their stance on subjects ranging from beauty standards (go with the flaw) to US Immigration policy (Break the wall).
With the brand ‘stretched’ across so many different awareness campaigns you always worry they will lose credibility, however, this isn’t the case thus far.
Their newest campaign ‘Hate Couture’ digs at cyberbullying and tells people ‘the more hate you wear, the less you care’. It features a host of famous, often polarizing, faces such as Nicki Minaj and Bella Thorne wearing clothing adorned with the hateful comments they’ve received on social media.
As stylistic as ever, the campaign is more than a film, it is a movement to attempt to negate peoples online hate. Later this month 150 influencers will create their own pieces emblazoned with hateful comments and even consumers will have a chance to do so at Diesel stores across the world. I think the way this sensitive and difficult subject has been approached shows the brand’s experience in these matters.
Oh… and a portion of profits from the campaign will go to several anti-bullying programmes across the globe. – Bill, Strategist
Revolve // Bad
And on the flip side, we have an anti-bullying campaign that failed… pretty hard.
Revolve, a fashion e-commerce retailer that you make recognize from it’s huge and rather impactful influencer strategy with the likes of Chiara Ferragni and Aimee Song.
This time around their making headlines for their fat-shaming jumper that had the caption “being fat is not beautiful, it’s an excuse” modelled on a slim model. The jumper went live a day ahead of the scheduled press release and without some much need context – among other things – it caused an uproar with bloggers and models like Tess Holliday and Felicity Hayward.
Without the context of ‘this is an anti-bullying campaign, using real comments said to women online, the good intentions become lost and warped. Not to mention the disaster of putting a fat-shaming jumper that only goes up to a size XL on a skinny woman, which even had the release gone as scheduled wouldn’t have gone down well. – Lynn, Copywriter
Nike // Good
When Nike wanted to attempt the almost certainly impossible goal of breaking the 2-hour marathon mark—a massively time-consuming, expensive and exhausting effort now known as “Breaking2″—the brand largely pinned its hopes on Eliud Kipchoge.
On Sunday, Kipchoge didn’t just win the Berlin Marathon; he shattered the world record by shaving one minute and 20 seconds off the time set at the same race in 2014 by fellow Kenyan Dennis Kimetto. Kipchoge finished in 2 hours, 1 minute and 39 seconds.
Nike clearly believed such a historic race was on the horizon. In its 30th anniversary Just Do It spot that debuted earlier this month, we see footage of Kipchoge as narrator Colin Kaepernick says: “Don’t try to be the fastest runner in your school or the fastest in the world. Be the fastest ever.”
Then, a day before his Berlin run, Nike and Wieden + Kennedy Portland rolled out a full ad dedicated to Kipchoge. You won’t see too much of him in the ad, but that’s because the ad puts you in his sneakers. – Ayesha, Account Manager
Little Big Change // Good
Little Big Change campaign has been one of the most efficient campaigns to date. By giving the child the right to speak and make their own decisions, they declare Little Big Change as the underpants brand for children.
That is pretty brilliant. – Axel, Social Producer