Hasta La Creative!

Today Heineken and Wieden+Kennedy surprised some in the ad world by announcing the end of their shared five-year contract.

There’s no question that W+K has produced some very high-quality work for the client, Doogie Howser aside (take, for example, last week’s W+K Amsterdam ad giving users an insider’s tour of Paris). But the move makes sense: the client recently made some changes in its management structure in light of disappointing sales numbers only six months after rejecting a proposed takeover by SAB Miller.

As with other big-name clients like McDonald’s and Best Buy, Heineken is competing against market forces that it can neither tame nor co-opt. It may be the world’s third-largest brewer, but at this point it can only grow by acquiring or being acquired by its competitors.

The company’s Chief Commercial Officer Jan Derck van Karnebeek sounded a very similar note to that of other clients that have decided to move away from hiring a single creative agency, writing:

“We work with multiple agencies on Heineken®, to support the world-wide presence of the brand, and also to bring additional creative thinking. Globally we now enjoy a strong relationship with Publicis, while in many markets we are working with local agencies to deliver outstanding and effective local top-spin campaigns. We are excited about the future for both Heineken® and Desperados®. We thank the W+K team for their outstanding work and wish them well.”

From Wieden President/spokesman Dave Luhr:

“We are very proud of the creative body of work…But in this business change is more of the norm than the exception and it is time that we each go our own directions.”

Yet, as Adweek’s Andrew McMains put it,”…five years is a respectable run on a beer.”

Finlandia is gunning hard for the title of most inspirational vodka commercial ever.

A new two-and-half-minute ad, “1,000 years of less ordinary wisdom,” features offbeat heroes like a drag wrestler and reindeer racer offering tips on how to make it in the world, like “Be nobody’s bitch but your own” and “You’re only as fast as your reindeer.” In other words, a lot of the advice is, in spirit, not really that different from standard motivational fare, even if it comes from unusual sources and their unconventional contexts (though fashion icon Iris Apfel is not exactly out of the spotlight these days).

As for the title, the 1,000 years refers to the sum of the ages of the people in the commercial. A number of them are long in the tooth, which is cool, because listening to one’s elders is generally a good thing—they’re often less boring and clueless than young people. But the spot also makes sure to feature more sprightly accomplished types, too, like a prima ballerina and volcanic scientist (because it can’t really exclude representing the money demo, too).

Created by Wieden + Kennedy London, the spot relies heavily on a driving (mostly) instrumental version of the song “Undeniable,” by Donnie Daydream featuring Richie Sosa. That strings together the disparate footage from director Siri Bunford (though it might be worth mentioning that Adidas also just used the record as a soundtrack for its own sports-themed montage-qua-anthem).

Game of Thrones fans might enjoy that, as Fast Company notes, the strong man—Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson—is also a actor on the show. (He’s the latest in a string to play “The Mountain” Gregor Clegane, largely absent this season but for the occasional twitch from under a blanket on a laboratory table, the pseudo-zombie experiment of some sinister wizard. P.S.: If that’s where drinking Finlandia leads, no thanks.)

In all seriousness, though, the concept is pretty moving—a nice snapshot of various walks of life, with some clever and charming moments. Overall, it might even be convincing, except what drinking vodka really makes people want to do is drink more vodka and then pass out hard and sleep in the next day—not a great way to tear through that bucket list.

CREDITS
Client: Finlandia
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy London
Creative directors: Scott Dungate, Graeme Douglas
Copywriter: Paddy Treacy
Art director: Mark Shanley
Executive creative directors: Tony Davidson, Iain Tait
Executive producer: Danielle Stewart
Group account director: Paulo Salomao
Account director: Matt Owen
Account manager: Sophie Lake
Head of planning: Beth Bentley
Planning director: Martin Beverley
TV producer: Michelle Brough
Production company: Knucklehead
Director: Siri Bunford
Executive producer: Matthew Brown
Director of photography: Ben Smithard
Editorial companies: Lucky Cat, Whitehouse Post
Editors: Xavier Perkins, Lucky Cat; Adam Marshall, Whitehouse Post
Post producer: Anandi Peiris
VFX company: MPC
VFX supervisor: Bill McNamara
Flame artist: Bill McNamara
VFX producer: Anandi Peiris
Grade: MPC
Colorist: Matthieu Toullet
Titles/graphics: Ryan Teixeira
Music/sound company: Factory
Sound designers: Anthony Moore, Phil Bollard
Song: Undeniable, Richie Sosa
Interactive producer: Dom Felton
Director of relations: Marta Bobic
PR manager: Charlotte Corbett

W+K Portland debuted its first work for Yoplait since being named lead agency for the brand in late March.

A new 30-second spot promote Yoplait Original as now having 25 percent less sugar while emphasizing the brand’s French roots — the company was formed when French dairy co-ops Yola and Coplait merged into a single company. A Yoplait spokesperson told Creativity this is the first time in over ten years that the brand has emphasized its cultural origins. The spot, directed by Annonymous Content’s Autumn De Wilde, pictures a woman with a French accent tasting Yoplait’s new sugar-reduced formula for snack time and congratulating the brand on their success. It’s a straightforward approach that is somewhat marred by including English subtitles when the woman speaks — a move that comes across as patronizing to both the actress and audiences. It’s unclear at this point if the spot is indicative of W+K’s overall approach for the brand or just a one-time effort to introduce the reduced sugar angle, but if they do continue in this vein, it would be wise to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and drop the subtitles.

Warren Buffett is known for many things, but singing hasn’t been one of them—until now.

Buffett played “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” on a custom ukulele (presented to him recently by Wieden + Kennedy) in a video Wednesday that opened the company’s annual meeting as it celebrates its 100th birthday. 

Odd? For sure. But certainly on brand. The billionaire investor and philanthropist does love Coke. Not only does he own $16 billion in Coca-Cola stock, but he told Fortune in February that he’s “a quarter Coca-Cola” and drinks five 12-ounce servings of the soda daily.

The custom ukulele, which has a sound hole in the shape of the classic Coke bottle, was made by Portland-based luthier Mark Roberts. Crafted in five weeks out of European Carpathian spruce from Romania, reclaimed Honduran mahogany and Malagasy ebony, the red ukulele was given to Buffett last month at his Berkshire Hathaway office in Omaha.

“He picked it up and practiced the song, changing the key a few times,” said Thomas Harvey, account director at W+K. “You can see him tuning up and singing at the start of the film. The whole process only took about 30 minutes.”

Somebody get this kid a bike! (And snowshoes, while you’re at it.)

Orri, the plucky little dude in this fanciful 90-second ad from Wieden + Kennedy London introducing Arla’s Skyr Icelandic yogurt to the U.K., Germany and the Netherlands, really has it rough. Most of the action takes place in 1968, as the boy braves storms and covers vast distances, always on foot, to deliver messages that arrive via his remote village’s only telephone. (Often, these communications are of a less-than-urgent nature, such as, “Your trousers are ready for collection.”)

Does he even draw a salary? Or get tips?

On the plus side, Orri enjoys heaping bowls of Skyr to power his travels.

The low-key, humorous film, W+K’s first work for the brand, is expertly directed by Dougal Wilson, who placed two spots (“Monty the Penguin” for John Lewis and “Adventure Awaits” for Lurpak) among Adweek’s top 10 ads of 2014.

This Skyr ad, “The Messenger,” really delivers, subtly touting the brand as a hearty snack or meal while keeping viewers engaged and smiling. W+K’s Thom Whitaker, who wrote and art directed the work with Danielle Noël, chatted with us about the commercial:

Where did the idea come from?
Skyr’s full of protein, so we wanted to tell a story of extraordinary Icelandic strength, but one which people weren’t familiar with or had heard before. We’d heard about young Icelandic kids working as telephone messengers back in the ’60s—which we thought could be the perfect story to tell.

Why go this route with the creative?
Because of Iceland’s tradition for Viking sagas, it felt right to create our own epic story for this Icelandic yogurt. We wanted to go back to the old tradition of classic storytelling—a bit like the old Stella Artois work.

Skyr has got a pretty wide appeal. It’s very much Scandinavia’s answer to Greek yogurt, and in Iceland it’s part of everyone’s daily diet, so we thought the story of the little boy was universal enough for everybody to enjoy.

Why keep the product mostly in the background?
We wanted to weave Skyr into the story in the natural way, while giving as much screen time as possible to the boy’s epic journey, so that the final payoff becomes even stronger.

Some have likened the approach to Wes Anderson. Agree or disagree?
It does have a bit of a Wes Anderson vibe to it, but that wasn’t really intentional. The brightly colored houses and the retro wardrobe might have something to do with it. We should have set the titles in Futura!

Any amusing anecdotes from the shoot?
The lighthouse scene was pretty interesting—a full-on Icelandic storm was battering the cliffs and it felt like we could be swept away at any second. I don’t think we’ve ever been so happy with a first take.

Skyr’s got more work coming out soon?
Short films [not by Dougal Wilson] are out next week on YouTube and Facebook and are called “Skyr Guides.” They’re also from W+K, but Toby Moore and Selena McKenzie are the brains behind them, not us [Thom and Danielle].

They’re basically two short portraits of modern-day Icelanders who exhibit the same sort of strength as Orri does in our film: Kolla, a cyclist who braves the Icelandic climate every day, and Joi, a modern-day Viking who’s a doorman at one of Reykjavik’s oldest nightclubs and who’s not averse to putting Skyr on his steak. They’re all about introducing us Brits to Skyr—the history of it, what it’s good with, how it’s pronounced.

CREDITS
Client: Arla Foods
Project Name: Arla Skyr
Media Channels: TV, OOH, DOOH, Online Films
Lead Client Name: Sam Dolan
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy London
Creative Directors: Dave Day, Larry Seftel
Copywriter: Thom Whitaker, Danielle Noel
Art Director: Thom Whitaker, Danielle Noel
Executive Creative Directors: Tony Davidson / Iain Tait
Agency Executive Producer: Danielle Stewart
Group Account Director: Katherine Napier
Account Director: Will Hunt
Account Manager: Maria Kofoed
Head of Planning: Beth Bentley
Planning Director: Theo Izzard-Brown
Planner: Rachel Hamburger
TV Producer: Matthew Ellingham
Creative Producer: Michael Winek
Production Company: Blink
Director: Dougal Wilson
Executive Producer: James Studholme
Line Producer: Ewen Brown
Director of Photography: Karl Oskarsson
Editorial Company: Final Cut
Editor: Joe Guest
Post Producer: Julie Evans
Post Executive Producer: Julie Evans
VFX Company: MPC
VFX Supervisor: Bill McNamara
Flame Artist: Tom Harding
VFX Producer: Julie Evans
Colourist: Jean-Clément Soret
Titles/Graphics: MPC
Music+Sound Company: Alex Baranowski
Composer: Alex Baranowski
Sound Designer: Anthony Moore
Producer: Becs Bell
Mix Company: Factory
Mixer: Anthony Moore
Producer: Becs Bell
Online Films:
Art Director: Toby Moore, Selena McKenzie
Copywriter: Toby Moore, Selena McKenzie
TV Producer: Greg Hemes
Production Company: TrueNorth
Editorial Company: WracK
Print Production:
Art Director: Thom Whitaker, Danielle Noel, Kelly Satchell
Copywriter: Thom Whitaker, Danielle Noel
Head of Design: Karen Jane

You may recall that, way back in the halcyon days of July 2014, we reported that Russia’s S7 airlines had decided to go abroad for its advertising needs by signing W+K as its AOR.

No one at the agency would confirm the win at the time (which may have had something to do with the fact that even the world’s largest PR firms no longer want to be mentioned in the same sentence as Vladimir Putin).

W+K Amsterdam definitely won the business, though — and its “Imagine” campaign for the client debuted last month.

The agency’s most recent work, a short film titled “The Imagination Machine,” makes use of Mark Zuckerberg’s favorite tech trend to allow locals to go on their dream vacations without leaving the comfort of the virtual reality booth.

It’s certainly an interesting project, though we don’t know if we can agree with Professor/CCO Cottam’s assertion that one can visit one’s “dream place” with the right amount of concentration.

The backing of a major international airline always helps.

Credits:

Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam

Executive Creative Directors: Mark Bernath & Eric Quennoy
Creative Directors: Daniel Schaefer & Szymon Rose
Art Director: Vasco Vicente
Copywriter: Evgeny Primachenko
Head of Content: Joe Togneri
Head of Interactive Production: Kelsie Van Deman
Broadcast Producer: Judd Caraway
Planner: Nick Docherty
Group Account Director: Kirk Johnsen
Account Director: Nick Campion
Account Executive: Yulia Prokhorova
Head of Studio: Jackie Barbour
Creative Technologist: Kees Plattel
Studio Artist: Noa Redero
Project Manager: Stacey Prudden
Business Affairs: Kacey Kelley

INTERACTIVE PRODUCTION
EXPERIENCE DESIGN & PRODUCTION TELLART

Executive Creative Director: Matt Cottam
Creative Director: Paul Skinner
Art Director: Ivor Williams
Producer: Charlie Ledbetter
Design Lead: Christian Ervin
Senior Designer: Zaza Zuilhof
Senior Technologist: Pierluigi Dalla Rosa, Kuan-Ju Wu

FILM PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION COMPANY WIEDEN+KENNEDY AMSTERDAM / OPERATOR AMSTERDAM

Producer: Pavel Ananich (Operator)
Agency Producer: Judd Caraway (W+K)
Director: John Filipe (W+K)
Editing: John Filipe, Robin Pijpers (W+K)

FILM & INSTALLATION SOUND DESIGN
PRODUCTION COMPANY WAVE STUDIOS

Sound Editing: Alex Nicholls-Lee, Juan Pablo Thummler
Sound Design and Mix: Alex Nicholls-Lee, Randall Macdonald

Nike’s newest commercial captures the inner dialogue of a woman stuck behind a row of models during swim class; a runner through a half-marathon; and a beginner yogi unsure of her surroundings.

The spot, by Wieden + Kennedy, launches a campaign called #betterforit, which Nike says is its largest initiative yet in supporting and motivating women’s athletic journeys. It’s about “powering [women] to be better through services, product innovation and athlete inspiration, motivating each other to push to the next level,” the company says.

It’s a light, fun approach in contrast to more motivational Nike spots of the past, and it seems to be resonating with the average athlete. From the YouTube comments: “It’s not often I love commercials. But this one reminds us that everyone has insecurities and that we can accomplish anything, and I think that’s a really special thing to focus on in an ad.”

This first spot, “Inner Thoughts,” aired during the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday night. It looks like Nike is positioning “Better for it” as the less aggressive (but maybe equally motivating) alternative to “Just do it.”

More videos and images below, plus credits.

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CREDITS
Client: Nike
Project: “Better For It”

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Creative Directors: Alberto Ponte / Ryan O’Rourke / Dan Viens
Copywriter: Heather Ryder / Darcie Burrell
Art Director: Patty Orlando
Producer: Molly Tait / Julie Gursha
Executive Agency Producer: Matt Hunnicutt
Interactive Strategy: Jocelin Shalom
Strategic Planning: Tom Suharto / Irina Tone
Media/Comms Planning: Emily Dalton / Destinee Scott / Emily Graham
Account Team: Karrelle Dixon / Alyssa Ramsey / Marisa Weber / Jim Zhou
Business Affairs: Anna Beth Nagel
Executive Creative Directors: Mark Fitzloff / Joe Staples

Production Company: Iconoclast
Director: Matthew Frost
Executive Producer: Charles-Marie Anthonioz
Line Producer: Caroline Pham
Director of Photography: Darren Lew / Joost Van Gelder

Editorial Company: Rock Paper Scissors
Editor: Angus Wall (“Inner Thoughts” :60 and :30) / Grant Surmi (:30/:15s)
Post Producer: Jared Thomas
Post Executive Producer: Angela Dorian

VFX Company: A52
VFX Supervisor: Jesse Monsour
Flame Artist: Brendan Crockett / Matt Sousa / Steve Wolf / Dan Ellis / Richard Hirst
VFX Producer: Jamie McBriety
Color: Paul Yacono

Music Supervision: Nylon Studios
Artist: Apollo 100
Track: Joy
Sound Designer: Barking Owl

Mix Company: Lime Studios
Mixer: Matt Miller / Dave Wagg
Producer: Jessica Locke / Susie Boyajan

Your life might not be quite like Game of Thrones, but you can still feel like a boss power broker if you drive a Chrysler, says a new ad from the automaker.

“Kings and Queens of America,” voiced by actor Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister on the hit HBO show, is launching just ahead of the fifth-season premier this Sunday.

The commercial, created by Wieden + Kennedy, builds on the great American myth that wealth and power are not a birthright, but rather simply there for the taking. That may be true, insofar as Justin Bieber, the Joffrey Baratheon of our time, didn’t inherit his fortune from his dad (even if both of them invaded from the North).

The 60-second spot even sports a soundtrack that references the theme music from the Game of Thrones’ opening credits.

On screen, a series of modern-day, ostensibly self-made warriors gird themselves for battle in designer glasses, high heels and blazers, and climb on their horses … or rather, into their Chrysler 300s. (Grand Maester Ron Burgundy can offer some wisdom on how many horses it would take to equal a Chrysler engine.)The faces featured include San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon; Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian; pro poker player Phil Ivey; photographer Kwaku Alston; and Los Angeles restaurateur Caroline Styne. They, and others, will appear in 30-second spots airing later this month.

Nobody, though, is shown viscously murdering his or her father, son-in-law, wife, brother or random stranger, for that matter.

CREDITS
Client: Chrysler
Spot: “The Kings & Queens of America”
CMO, FCA Global: Olivier Francois
President and CEO, Chrysler Brand: Al Gardner
Director, Head of Global Advertising, Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram: Marissa Hunter
Head of Advertising, Chrysler Brand: Melissa Garlick
Chrysler Brand Advertising Specialist: Danielle DePerro

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Creative Directors: Aaron Allen / Kevin Jones
Copywriter : Alex Romans
Art Director: John Dwight
Broadcast Producer: Endy Hedman
Art Producer: Grace Petrenka / Amy Berriochoa
Strategic Planning: Cat Wilson / Sarah Biedak
Media/Comms Planning: Alex Barwick
Account Team: Cheryl Markley / Lani Reichenbach / Stephanie Montoya
Business Affairs: Karen Murillo
Project Management: Jane Monaghan / Annie Quach
Executive Creative Directors: Joe Staples / Mark Fitzloff
Head of Production: Ben Grylewicz

Production Company: HSI
Director: Samuel Bayer
Executive Producer: Roger Zorovich
Line Producer: William Green
Director of Photography: Samuel Bayer
Photographer: Samuel Bayer / John Clark

Editorial Company: Joint
Editor: Nicholas Davis
Assistant Editors: Kristy Faris
Post Producer: Leslie Carthy
Post Executive Producer: Patty Brebner

VFX Company: Joint
Lead Flame Artist: Katrina Salicrup
Flame Artist: David Stern
Smoke Artist: David Jahns
VFX Producer: Alex Thiesen

Songs: “Blood and Stone”

Mix Company: Joint
Mixer: Noah Woodburn
Producer: Sarah Fink

W+K Portland celebrates the myth of the American Dream in a new 60-second spot for Chrysler for the new 2015 Chrysler 300 entitled “The Kings and Queens of America,” narrated by Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage.

“There is no royal blood in this country,” Dinklage begins at the beginning of the ad, with strings playing dramatically in the background, “Nothing is reserved for anyone.” The narration is matched by expertly crafted shots of men and women staring out at city skylines. “It’s all just out there, waiting for someone to reach out and take it,” Dinklage continues. While the sentiment behind the ad ignores the reality that social mobility is actually higher in most European countries than it is in the U.S., this is advertising, not sociology. Dinklage’s voice acting (which, of course, is typically brilliant) delivers well-written copy and is matched perfectly by visually impressive footage, courtesy of director Samuel Bayer.

The effort launches a “Drive Proud” campaign for Chrysler, which will also span digital and print and focuses on celebrating “success through hard work across all walks of life, from entrepreneurs and small-business owners to self-employed contractors, designers and artists” and features Becky Hammon (NBA assistant coach, San Antonio Spurs), Alexis Ohanian (cofounder of Reddit), Phil Ivey (professional gambler/entrepreneur), Kwaku Alston (photographer) and Caroline Styne (restaurant owner). Of course, the timing of the launch couldn’t be better either, with the imminent debut of season five of Game of Thrones making Dinklage’s involvement pure gold.

Credits:

W+K PORTLAND

Creative Directors Aaron Allen / Kevin Jones

Copywriter Alex Romans

Art Director John Dwight

Broadcast Producer Endy Hedman

Art Producer Grace Petrenka / Amy Berriochoa

Strategic Planning Cat Wilson / Sarah Biedak

Media/Comms Planning Alex Barwick

Account Team Cheryl Markley / Lani Reichenbach / Stephanie Montoya

Business Affairs Karen Murillo

Project Management Jane Monaghan / Annie Quach

Executive Creative Directors Joe Staples / Mark Fitzloff

Head of Production Ben Grylewicz

PRODUCTION

Production Company HSI

Director Samuel Bayer

Executive Producer Roger Zorovich

Line Producer William Green

Director of Photography Samuel Bayer

Photographer Samuel Bayer / John Clark

EDITORIAL

Editorial Company Joint

Editor Nicholas Davis

Assistant Editors Kristy Faris

Post Producer Leslie Carthy

Post Executive Producer Patty Brebner

VFX

VFX Company Joint

Lead Flame Artist Katrina Salicrup

Flame Artist David Stern

Smoke Artist David Jahns

VFX Producer Alex Thiesen

MUSIC + SOUND DESIGN

Songs “Blood and Stone”

MIX

Mix Company Joint

Mixer Noah Woodburn

Producer Sarah Fink

There’s always something fun about site-specific ads in New York City. The richness of every neighborhood makes the place especially promising for that kind of outdoor work, as 72andSunny’s work last year reminded us.

Now, Wieden + Kennedy in New York has done a fun campaign for the recently reopened Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum that points the rest the city—perhaps counterintuitively—to the Upper East Side for world-class design.

“When the thrill of fashion models finally wears off, we’ve got this enameled porcelain collection you should probably come see,” say ads going up in the Meatpacking District, for example. “There are no croissant-doughnut hybrids in our design museum, but we do have things that were really popular once, and then the trend completely moved on, and then some other new things came along and took its place,” say the ads in SoHo.

The ads will appear on the Upper West Side, Lower East Side, Chelsea, Meatpacking District, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick, the West Village, SoHo and the Upper East Side itself (where ads take a shot at the Guggenheim).

“Put simply: Leave your neighborhood and come to ours!” says David Kolbusz, executive creative director at W+K New York.

Check out some of the creative below. Click the images to enlarge.