Hasta La Creative!

A Finnish NGO HelsinkiMissio demonstrates how the world looks like for the lonely through images of the deserted city streets of Helsinki. The organization helping the lonely aims to highlight the issue during the crisis in hopes to get compassion for the ones who need it now more than ever.

The campaign was carried out pro bono together with TBWAHelsinki, FLC Helsinki, Sanoma, and Clear Channel.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we have had to adjust to the new world of social distancing. For most of us, a life without daily human interaction is an entirely new situation. It is, however, nothing unusual for those suffering from chronic loneliness and isolation. Momentary solitude can be good for you, however, involuntary loneliness can lead to life-threatening health conditions.

The empty city streets inspired HelsinkiMissio to use pictures of deserted public spaces in their campaign to show how the world looks like through the eyes of the lonely, even without the ongoing virus outbreak. Loneliness is always harmful, it is never a choice of solitude. All of the images were taken in some of the busiest locations of Helsinki, the capital of Finland.

“We are now seeing pictures of deserted cities everywhere. They have turned into a post-apocalyptic art exhibition for everyone isolated at their homes. With this campaign, we hope that people will understand how the situation is affecting those who are already suffering from loneliness,” states Erno Reinikainen, Creative Director at TBWAHelsinki. “In times like this, people need each other more than ever,” he continues.

Orange launches #OnResteEnsemble (WeStayTogether) operation to allow seniors in France to continue to see their loved ones via its advertising spots.

As we’ve all seen, keeping in touch has become more important than ever during the lockdown. Our smartphones and computers have never played a bigger role. Every day, millions of people around the world log in to Zoom, Skype, Hangouts and other applications to see their loved ones – to reassure them, offer support, and maintain life as normally as possible. But for many, that’s not so easy, particularly for seniors. As the most susceptible group, they’re also likely to be most affected by the isolation brought on by lockdowns, in house arrest and deprived of all contact, for their own safety. That’s why Orange, the leading telephone operator in France, decided to offer ad space to French people so they can share messages with their elders, directly on television. Because if there’s one thing almost all our parents and grandparents have, it’s a TV.

Orange, in collaboration with agency la chose, gives another dimension to its signature “Bringing you closer to the essential” because right now, offering people the opportunity to share messages with their elderly relatives is not only essential, but almost vital. Orange is aware that senior citizens are still too often exposed to digital exclusion, whether through lack of knowledge or lack of equipment. To give you an idea, here are a few quick stats in France:
– 17% of seniors don’t own a mobile phone
– 25% don’t have a computer
– 52% do not have smartphones *
* according to a BVA study with a representative sample of the French population – 2019.

Based on the observation that seniors in France spend an average of nearly 8 hours per day in front of TV (according to a 2019 Nielsen Study), Orange developed an online platform that enables everyone, whether or not they are a customer, to pass along a message to their parents, grandparents or friends through advertisements on their favorite programs.

Uncoincidentally, the four most popular sports in America were born in America. However, a misconception about soccer is that it wasn’t. Before the MLS, professional soccer didn’t exist anywhere else.

There’s no denying that we’re all getting a bit antsy after a few weeks of being confined to our homes. And by this point, most people are not only looking for something new and fun to fill their virtual happy hour time, they probably also have a pretty interesting collection of supplies lingering in their kitchen cupboards.

That’s why BACARDÍ has partnered with a team of talented bartenders and drink experts to launch Cupboard Cocktails – an Instagram Live series that helps transform people’s random odds and ends into elevated rum cocktail recipes.

Starting this week, BACARDÍ is inviting people at home to submit their pantry ingredients through Instagram questions on the @bacardiusa channel. A featured mixologist will then create a brand-new rum cocktail recipe based on the top responses. The following evening, s/he will then go Live on the BACARDÍ Instagram channel to teach everyone at home how to make the drink themselves.

Each episode of Cupboard Cocktails will raise funds for a different charity supporting the industry – such as the U.S. Bartender’s Guild Emergency Fund or Another Round, Another Rally, where viewers can “tip their bartender” by texting to donate.

This activation is the latest effort from the BACARDÍ #RaiseYourSpirits initiative geared towards supporting the restaurant and bartending industry, which has been hit hard due to COVID-19. Just last month, Bacardi Limited donated $3 million in financial aid and support to struggling food and beverage businesses, and launched a text-to-donate feature, allowing consumers to show their support and contribute.

Venables Bell & Partners and digital agency Firstborn have partnered to launch a new effort called Facejar – a virtual face-touching “swear jar” that lets people turn accidental beard rubs, eye itches and nose picks during video meetings into money for protective equipment for medical professionals. The concept is simple: touch your face, donate a dollar.

Facejar uses a custom Snap Cam lens developed by Firstborn to register and count face touches during video meetings on a number of platforms, including Zoom*, Skype, Google Hangouts, Twitch and Microsoft Teams. After a meeting is over, users can complete the donation by scanning a QR code to donate on Venmo. All proceeds will go to #GetUsPPE (getusppe.org [getusppe.org]), a grassroots organization dedicated to getting personal protective equipment to healthcare workers on the frontlines.

Playboy magazine is known for its sexy covers but not so much for its long history of publishing interviews with notable personalities. The eternal joke that people read Playboy for the articles revealed to be actually true. The magazine’s archive is full of deeply personal and insightful conversations with filmmakers, musicians, and other political figures which is in line with the new brand identity of the magazine. By writing the playboy logo in the style of trusted magazines with quotes from the interviews, the campaign shows that Playboy can hold its own alongside leading publishings powerhouses.