German discount retailer PENNY’s Xmas film centers on a mother’s wish for her son. At first, it seems like the antithesis of what a parent would want. She’d like to see her boy sneaking out at night surreptitiously, neglecting school, celebrating wild house parties and having his heart broken. But when put in the context of a pandemic—during which he couldn’t have those growing pains and growing up experiences–mom's heartfelt desire for him to catch up on life rings lovingly true.
Titled The Wish, this spot from agency Serviceplan Campaign in Munich and directed by Marcus Ibanez of Iconoclast, is becoming a cultural and social media talking point, with #PENNY trending on Twitter and over 3.7 million views on YouTube and 1.4 million views on Instagram. Germany’s biggest daily newspaper BILD has reported on the spot, which has also been shared on Instagram by prominent German influencers.
The Wish is running online and on social media, and can also be seen at German cinemas starting on November 18. The film’s storyline is supported acoustically by a world-famous song: arranged and produced by Supreme, at the end of the film, the hit “It’s My Life” (by Bon Jovi) is sung with a new interpretation by the lead actor Julius Gause.
Christoph Everke, creative managing director of Serviceplan Campaign, commented: “During the last two years, much has been said about older people, parents, home office and care, and rightly so–children and young people had no voice. We want to change all that with the mother’s unusual wish, the impressive and sensitive images, the unbelievable acting of the performers and the song which the lead actor sings at the end.”
CreditsClient PENNY Agency Serviceplan Campaign Christoph Everke, creative managing director; Moritz Dornig, creative director; Alessia Coschignano, sr. copywriter & concept; Rebecca Labiner, sr. art director; Katharina King, jr. copywriter; Elvira Breit, jr. art director; Aisha Blackwell, executive producer. Production Iconoclast Germany Marcus Ibanez, director; Tim Augustin, producer; Paul Özgür, DP. Editorial Nikolaus Kohler, editor. Music Supreme Music. Music Research & Negotiation Spark Marketing Kathrin Heinemann, Matthias Bauss.
Top Spot of the Week: Samsung, BBH Singapore, Director Rhys Thomas Get Fit For A Surf Holiday
Samsung’s new global campaign from BBH Singapore, featuring Samsung Health and Galaxy AI, tells the story of a young professional couple who compete to get fit for a surf holiday.
Titled “A Samsung Health Story: Racing to Fiji,” this film taps into Gen Z’s wellness dilemma and the fact that they can often find health information overwhelming; in particular, BBH Singapore took inspiration from young people who reference their “quarter life crisis” on social media. This film tells the story of Stacey and Steve who decide to go surfing in Fiji, something they did five years ago but haven’t done since they started their jobs. However, there’s one problem: they need to get fitter first.
Featuring a range of Galaxy products powered by Galaxy AI, they rebuild their fitness to prepare for the trip, competing playfully to spur each other on. We see them comparing their Energy Scores (a new feature on the Samsung Health app), recording their runs and swims on their Samsung Galaxy Watches, trying and failing to get fit at work and on their commutes and striving to improve in the run up to the trip. When they get there, however, there’s a fun twist, and the film ends on a cliffhanger.
The ad is expected to be the first in a series, which will develop the characters and their “world” in future episodes. This longform (two-and-a-half-minute) version of the spot delves deeper into the storytelling, in a fresh approach for Samsung’s product campaigns, while the shorter edits focus on driving exposure to specific features.
BBH Singapore also leaned into the entertainment aspect of the spot; it was directed by comedic specialist Rhys Thomas at Stink Films, who has a major TV background. Best known for his work on Saturday Night... Read More