Hasta La Creative!

With the Rio 2016 Olympics just over three weeks away, Ogilvy & Mather Brazil launched a new campaign for Coca-Cola entitled “#ThatsGold,” as part of the brand’s larger “Taste the Feeling” effort.

“#ThatsGold” is centered around two 60-second broadcast spots, “Gold Actions” and “Gold Feelings.” The more effective of the two, “Gold Feelings” pairs footage of Olympic athletes winning gold with quotes about how it feels to receive top honors at the Olympics and this year’s Olympic hopefuls. The jubilant athletes and the quotes, such as “It’s a feeling you can’t contain”are interspersed with shots of drinkers enjoying a cold Coca-Cola, tying the feeling of winning gold to the brand and the larger “Taste the Feeling” positioning, ableit with a somewhat tenuous connection that some viewers might find hard to swallow.

That said, “Gold Actions” is even more of a stretch. “Gold is for the fastest,” text reads near the opening of the spot, adding “Who jump the highest,” those who “take it seriously” and “the brave.” But, the spot adds, “Anyone can be gold.” It’s a somewhat jumbled, ultimately meaningless message positioning the brand as a way to cap off “gold moments,” but there’s also a certain simple sweetness to the approach and footage of jubilant athletes and Coke drinkers. In addition to the broadcast spots, the campaign also includes print ads featuring 79 Olympic athletes from 23 countries (swimmer Nathan Adrian and soccer star Alex Morgan represent the U.S.), an onsite brand activation center in Rio, Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of the 2016 Olympic Torch Relay and commemorative Olympic packaging. 

“There are so many gold moments that happen off the podium. It’s about day-to-day, simple pleasures that are all about joy and uplift, whatever is a special moment that you’ll share with friends and family, and celebrating our relationships with the Olympians, too,” Coca-Cola global vice president, creative and connections Rodolfo Echeverria explained to Adweek. “We’re trying to position Coca-Cola as a simple pleasure that makes moments more special.” 

“There’s something that’s so powerful about the Olympics. It brings together experiences of mutual understandings, friendships, solidarity, togetherness, inclusion and equality,” added Coca-Cola senior vice president, strategic marketing Ivan Pollard. “This year’s campaign is special because it’s not about watching someone win a gold medal, it’s about watching their face when they do. It’s exactly the same feeling you have when you teach your children to ride a bicycle, or when your son graduates from college.”

Credits:
Agency: Ogilvy & Mather Brazil
CCO: Anselmo Ramos
Creative Director: Rafael Donato
Production Company: Anonymous Content
Director: Omri Cohen
Music Company: Avicii Music AB
Performers: Avicii feat Conrad

Leo Burnett launched the latest in its ongoing “Like A Girl” campaign for Always with the sports-themed “Keep Playing,” released ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Based on the insight that, according to the brand’s research, half of girls quit sports during adolescence, the 60-second spot follows several girls who are determined to stick with the games they love.

“A lot of boys have told me I can’t play rugby, because I’m a girl,” says one such athlete at the opening of the spot, as she’s pictured tackling an opponent. “Keep Playing” goes on to depict a young female weightlifter, shot-putter, boxer and more. “Girls could actually play rugby and they could also be the team captain…” adds the young rugby enthusiast. The spot concludes by inviting viewers to “Show the world how you keep playing #LikeAGirl.”

The timely ad benefits from taking its subjects out of the controlled “social experiment” environment of “Unstoppable,” allowing the girls to tell their own stories in their own environments. Its message is something of an evolution of “Stronger Together,” which celebrated girls’ accomplishments in sports, without dealing as explicitly in the negative attitudes such young female athletes have to overcome. For an example of such attitudes at the their most noxious, one need look no further than the video’s comments on YouTube (or, for your own sake, just take our word for it).

“The Olympic Games are a time when, all around the world, female sports participation is elevated in the public eye. And for that reason, we could not think of a better moment to drive awareness of the critical role sports play in building girls’ confidence,” Always associate director Michele Baeten told Adweek. 

The brand partnered with American soccer star Alex Morgan to promote the spot. She tweeted it out with a message regarding her own story of discouragement, saying, “At age 13, one of my coaches told me that I wasn’t good enough. As a young girl just wanting to play and do my best, that was difficult to hear. It would have been easy for me to quit, but I wouldn’t be the confident person I am today if I had.” 

Credits:

Client: P&G Always
Agency: Leo Burnett Worldwide

Creative
Mark Tutssel – Global Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett Worldwide and Creative Chairman, Publicis Communications
Judy John – Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett Toronto
Nancy Hannon – EVP Executive Creative Director, Leo Burnett Chicago
Isabela Ferreira – VP Creative Director
Natalie Taylor – VP Creative Director
Amanda Mearsheimer – Associate Creative Director
Gloria Dusenberry – Associate Creative Director
Anthony Brooks – Senior Copywriter
Jillian Lamb – Senior Art Director
Garrett Vernon – Copywriter
Pete Kellen – Copywriter
Luis Marques – Senior Art Director
Darlene White – Creative Resource Manager

Production
Vincent Geraghty – EVP Executive Director of Production
Mary Cheney – SVP Group Executive Producer
Tony Wallace – VP Executive Producer
Adine Becker – Senior Producer
Chris Clark – Director of Music
Alex Stern – Assistant Music Producer
Linda Yuen – Senior Talent Manager
Julie Lewandowski – Production Manager
Nanette Burnstein – Hungryman/Director
Kevin Byrne – Hungryman/EP Head of Production
Julianne Maloney – Hungryman/Producer
Tami Rieker – Director of Photography
Nikki Vapenski – Whitehouse Post/Editor
Luke Morrison – Mill/Colorist
John Binder/ David Gerbosi/ Peter Erazmus – Another Country/Audio Mix

Planning
Kristin Hayward – VP Participation Strategy Director

Account
Annette Sally – EVP Account Director
Katie Nikolaus – Account Director
Sarah Kaminsky – Account Director
Ashley Sawatzke – Account Supervisor
Suz Sward – Assistant Account Executive
Raleigh Ward – Assistant Account Executive

Legal
Michael Sirota – SVP Associate General Counsel
Tracy Scimeca – Commercial Clearance Manager

W+K Portland tapped some of the world’s greatest athletes for their new holiday spot touting the advantages of Nike Hyperwarm Performance Baselayer, directed by Rupert Sanders. ”Winning in a Winter Wonderland” features the talents of Giants defensive end Justin Tuck, skier Julia Mancuso, snowboarder Scotty Lago, soccer stars Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux, and former Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, who now appears to be headed to Seattle. Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer also makes a brief cameo appearance.

While undeniably cheesy (hey, it’s the holidays) the spot does an admirable job at promoting the Nike Hyperwarm Performance Baselayer. People are prone to listen to endorsements from star athletes, and W+K got a wide, varied group together for the spot. They emphasize that the Nike Hyperwarm Performance Baselayer makes playing in cold, harsh conditions seem almost enjoyable by keeping you warm without restricting movement, perfectly matching the song selection. “Winning in a Winter Wonderland,” of course, changes the words of the holiday classic, which gets a bit cringe-worthy in spots but mostly comes across as cheesy holiday fun. The words are sung by the star athletes in the spot, mostly while in action, and they seem to have a lot of fun with it — which makes it hard to hate.

The campaign features both a one minute and thirty second version of the spot, as well as a digital takeover and social media elements.”Winning in a Winter Wonderland” premiered during college football’s Big Ten NCAA Championship game and will run throughout the holiday season. Credits after the jump.  continued…

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