As we look back upon 2017 year here at Wellington Group, we wanted to get a holistic view of the year on an industry-wide scale. We feel that reviewing the work of our competitors and peers can help us improve upon our own. Self-evaluation is an essential way to generate constructive criticism for you own work, especially at the start of a new year.
Our Top 5 Picks
So, what did we see this past year from the marketing and advertising industries across the globe? It was filled with amazing work, which made it truly hard to pick our favorites from so many successful and powerful campaigns. But the ones we did select were exceptionally noteworthy and inspirational for how we want to help our clients in 2018 and beyond.
Under Armour – Unlike Any #UnlikeAny
Under Armor featured athletes like Misty Copeland, Natasha Hastings, and Jesse Graff in the Unlike Any marketing campaign. Created by Droga5, the campaign was a pointed response to women athletes always being compared to men at the Olympics. Under Armor wanted to change the conversation surrounding women in the athletic world by emphasizing that these women are simply athletes in the conversation – not female athletes.
The odd camera angles and poetry that fill the videos of the women provide a powerful, dramatic, and artistic vision of who these athletes really are and how they continually push themselves to be the best.
“By portraying them as somewhat ‘godlike,’ we wanted to elevate them to the level they deserve,” says Kia Heinnen, senior art director at Droga5.
Why We Liked It
The Unlike Any campaign also pushed the boundaries put in place on social campaigns in the industry. They did not adhere to the typical 30- and 60-second spots. Instead, they let the films tell the stories of the athletes, no matter how long those stories needed to be. Under Armor really outdid themselves here by creating something powerful that grabbed meaningful attention from audiences everywhere.
Heineken – Worlds Apart #OpenYourWorld
Heineken highlighted differences and togetherness in their Worlds Apart campaign. They brought people together from different backgrounds, political spectrums, and sexual orientations, and then asked them to work together to build furniture.
The people found out they were paired with their opposite rather early on, which gave them the choice of setting aside their differences to complete the task or forfeiting the project. The spot ends with the two strangers deciding to drink the beer instead of storming off because of differences.
Why We Liked It
It served a beautiful representation of how even people with major differences can work together, build something successful, and even bond with each other. We think Heineken really hit the nail on the head with this campaign emphasizing people coming together harmoniously. We love how the campaign embraces differences and encourages people with opposite beliefs to get along.
New York Times – The Truth is Hard to Find
The New York Times harshly called out the rightful lack of faith in journalism in the political climate today with this campaign. With ‘Fake News” being the latest buzzword in our political discource, people have grown weary of their news outlets. The New York Times highlighted how important journalism is in a time filled with political upheaval.
They released a series of videos with real content narrated by journalists. The powerful videos emphasized the importance of truth in journalism and reliability of new sources to bring the facts to its audiences.
Why We Liked It
We love the truthfulness behind this campaign. It is free of fluff and gets straight to the point. The raw honestly captured our attention, reminding us that simply telling the story as it is can grab your audience’s attention in a powerful way.
Spotify – Global Out of Home Campaign
On a more light-hearted note, Spotify found a hilarious way to portray user data in their global Out of Home campaign this year. They strategically placed billboards around the world with witty and snappy titles from real user data. Our favorite was easily this one:
Why We Liked It
We love this example because it really spiced up the way brands use data and showed audiences that data isn’t just a collection of boring numbers on a spreadsheet. Data can tell a story about your audience and make for a hilarious campaign!
McCann – Fearless Girl
The Fearless Girl appeared overnight across from the Wall Street Charging Bull statue. It was placed as a symbol of female strength and equality. The plaque below the statue states: “Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference.” The statue was a powerful expression of support for women in leadership and also served a symbol of empowerment for young girls as Fearless Girl stared down the massive Wall Street bull.
Why We Liked It
We love the female empowerment behind this campaign and that McCann tapped into a real and relevant issue in society. Female empowerment and equality continues to receive a lot of attention in today’s climate, so we admire McCann’s ability to sum it all up in an overnight statue.
We find these particular campaigns inspiring and powerful examples of brand voices. In fact, reviewing the successes and failures of marketing campaigns in our industry can help to nurture and grow your own work.
Wellington Group will always strive to create better work than the day before while also learning something new every day. We can’t wait to see what’s in store in 2018!
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