While the life insurance company Modern Woodmen was founded in 1883 around the fraternal pioneering spirit, the new “Campfire Stories” campaign from advertising agency Cronin honors the real pioneers of today–moms. Cronin tapped into the contrast of modern culture and old-school values to break through the clutter. The anthem spot, directed by O Positive’s Brian Billow, features iconic characters–Pioneer and Cookie–as companions to a busy, hard-working mom who’s the hero of the story.
This campaign is the brand’s first in over 140 years. Billow, who’s an alum of SHOOT’s 2008 New Directors Showcase, said, “I loved the scripts as soon as I saw them. It’s a smart idea visually juxtaposing the pioneering spirit of Modern Woodmen’s history with a modern woman’s busy life to make a point about life insurance in a fun and relatable way.”
CreditsClient Modern Woodmen Agency Cronin Lester Ayala, SVP/head of production; Paul Catanese, executive creative director/copywriter; Scott Kaplan, Josh Gold, copywriters; Vlad Ivangorodsky, Margot Belyea, art directors; Jodi Ciarleglio, producer. Production Company O Positive Brian Billow, director; Ralph Laucella, Marc Grill, exec producers; Adriana Cebada Mora, producer; Paul Cameron, DP; Kevin Bird, production designer; Laura Eckert, costume designer. Editorial MackCut Ryan Steele, editor; Gina Pagano, exec producer. Post/VFX Parliament Eric Mason, VFX supervisor; Lexi Stearn, exec producer. Color Company 3 Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist. Music/Sound APM Music
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