This campaign for WhatsApp–directed by Cannes Lions winner Niclas Larsson and shot by Oscar-winning (La La Land) cinematographer Linus Sandgren for BBDO San Francisco and Berlin–takes our shared feeling pandemic era feeling of waiting to move forward and transforms it into a world-stopping reminder that New Year’s is about our connections to the people who matter most to us.
Spanning social, digital video, broadcast, and cinema, the campaign takes us on a journey around the world. Starting with the shorter 6 and 15-second formats, we’re transported to various New Year’s Eve celebrations. From a church in Nigeria to a typical Mumbai courtyard and the beaches of Brazil, each clip is a glimpse into a different celebration where each hero is frozen in time until they get that all-important message. Each vignette is linked by the universal insight that “It’s not the New Year until you get the message you’ve been waiting for.”
In the broadcast 30 and extended 60-second formats, the universal stories are seamlessly weaved together. As the world begins to countdown, we feel a collective global moment where a series of different people are all frozen, together, in waiting. Amongst fireworks, a busy pub, and even a full-blown choir of churchgoers, we see different people who seem to be waiting for something. As the countdown reaches its prolonged climax, one of the film’s heroes sends a meaningful message. A flurry of messages are released in an instant and the world whips back into real-time as we see the ads’ heroes revel in their private moment of connection.
The 90-second cinema format builds on the broadcast version by introducing the story of two of the film’s heroes. As the world freezes in anticipation, we dive into a story of star-crossed lovers. In a roughly 45 second segment, we make our way from a chance meeting on public transport to the highs and eventual lows of young love. Told in Director Niclas Larsson’s telltale visual language, amplified by the partnership with DP Linus Sandgren, the story effortlessly moves from macro to micro to macro again. It’s an advertisement that is not merely shown in cinema but rather purposely made to live on the large format.
And this short film–SHOOT’s Top Spot of the Week–delves more deeply into this couple’s love story from a chance meeting on the London tube to many of life’s trials and tribulations. Eventually, we learn that–in a very timely touch–one of the unnamed protagonists must return to his home country. The story possesses a depth that truly draws the viewer into the insight —–that the moment of reset for the New Year starts with that meaningful message from a loved one.
Tres Colacion, global creative lead, BBDO, said, “New Year’s Eve is one of the few collective, global moments and so it was important to use that work to be inspired by a truly universal insight. In each format, from 6 seconds to well over 3 minutes, we set out to capture the essence of what it feels like to receive the message you’ve been waiting for. And while the work may take us across the globe, the team worked tirelessly to craft a visual world where each of our heroes is the main character of their own night.”
Credits
Client WhatsApp Agency BBDO San Francisco Tres Colacion, global creative lead; Jose Higuera, global strategy lead Agency BBDO Berlin Till Diestel, chief creative officer; Erick Barrios Hernandez, Wolfgang Warzilek, creative directors; Deepanjali Singh, sr. art director; Florestan Roesmann, sr. copywriter; Arash Sabbagh, designer; Alexander Geier, exec producer. Production Iconoclast Germany Niclas Larsson, director; Swantje Rummel, exec producer; Jacqui Wilkinson, producer; Veronika Fuerthauer, Sybella Stevens, Karin Rudokas, production coordinators; Linus Sandgren, DP; Simone Grau, production designer; Micaela Urrutia, art director; Denise Ostholm, costume designer; Ivanna Kiss, makeup artist. Production/Locations Oriental Films, Carlos Ayami Erdmann, production/location manager. Offline Post Iconoclast Carla Luff, Nikolaus Kohler, editors. Audio Post Mermaid Berlin Wenke Kleine-Benne, sound designer. Motion Graphics Animation/Online Post Slaughterhaus Berlin Christian Wegehenkel, postproduction supervisor. Music Composed Title “New Year’s Eve” Jacog Mulrad, artist/master owner; Universal Publishing Nordic
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