Apple and Sandy Hook Promise returned to the primetime commercial Emmy nominees’ circle for the second consecutive year--this time, respectively for “Bounce” out of TBWA/Media Arts Lab, and “Back-to-School Essentials” from BBDO New York. Last year’s Apple actually scored two nods, for MacBook’s “Behind the Mac--Make Something Wonderful” and iPhone’s “Don’t Mess With Mother,” also out of TBWA\MAL. Meanwhile Sandy Hook Promise’s nomination in 2019 came for the BBDO NY-conceived “Point of View.”

Directed by Oscar Hudson of Pulse Films, this year’s Emmy-nominated “Bounce” makes the sometimes mind-numbing commute anything but routine--and a lot of fun for a guy wearing wireless charging Apple AirPods. Our protagonist dons his AirPods earbuds--plugging into a catchy tune--and hits the sidewalk. But instead of his feet hitting the pavement, they instead get some spring from a trampoline-like effect. Seemingly every surface he touches puts a bounce--literally--in his step, propelling him along on his commute. He bounces about in the urban setting, making for a memorable joyride, accompanied by a soundtrack titled “I Learnt Some Jazz Today” from up-and-coming producer/composer Tessellated.

Sandy Hook Promise’s “Back-to-School Essentials” was directed by Henry-Alex Rubin of SMUGGLER. The public service video starts off as a familiar back-to-school ad but slowly unfolds to highlight students using everyday back-to-school items to survive an outbreak of gun violence, shedding light on the gruesome reality that students face in the reality of classroom and campus shootings.

Also building upon its Emmy pedigree is Procter & Gamble which won the primetime commercial honor in 2018 for “The Talk” in which African-American parents have serious conversations with their kids about how to best interact with the police so as not to get hurt--or worse. While “The Talk” came from BBDO NY, this year’s P&G Emmy nominee addressing racial bias is “The Look” out of ad agency Saturday Morning. 

Directed by Anthony Mandler via Stink Films, “The Look” follows a Black man throughout his day as he encounters a variety of “looks” that symbolize a barrier to acceptance. In the film, the windows of a passing car are raised after his son waves to a young girl in the back seat, occupants of an elevator seem to shut him out as he approaches, and workers in a department store watch him with suspicion as he shops. Whether intentional or not, these small “looks” can have a major impact. The film ends with the line, “Let’s talk about the look so we can see beyond it.”

Rounding out this year’s primetime spot Emmy nominations are a pair of Super Bowl spots--Amazon’s “Before Alexa” directed by Steve Rogers via Somesuch x Revolver for Droga5 London, and Jeep’s “Groundhog Day” helmed by Jim Jenkins of O Positive for agency Highdive. The former commercial stars Ellen DeGeneres and her spouse, Portia de Rossi, as they contemplate what people did before they had the digital personal assistant Alexa. The Amazon ad journeys back in time to depict varied absurd scenarios which go haywire without Alexa. 

“Groundhog Day” for Jeep (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) features Bill Murray as he reprises his role in the feature motion picture of the same title. This year’s Super Bowl fell on Groundhog Day, making a nod to the 1993 movie a natural. The feature film’s town square was painstakingly recreated as were other locales from the movie. The twist is that instead of a Chevy truck, Murray uses a Jeep Gladiator truck for his daily exploits.

Recap
To recap, this year’s primetime Emmy-nominated commercials are:

“Back-to-School Essentials”--Sandy Hook Promise
SMUGGLER, Production Company, directed by Henry-Alex Rubin
BBDO New York, Ad Agency

“Before Alexa”--Amazon
Somesuch x Revolver, Production Company, directed by Steve Rogers
Droga5 London, Ad Agency

“Bounce”--Apple AirPods
Pulse Films, Production Company, directed by Oscar Hudson
TBWA Media Arts Lab, Ad Agency

“Groundhog Day”--Jeep (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles|FCA)
O Positive, Production Company, directed by Jim Jenkins
Highdive Advertising, Ad Agency

“The Look”--Procter & Gamble
Stink Films, Production Company, directed by Anthony Mandler
Saturday Morning, Ad Agency