3M's Post-it® Brand unveils a new global campaign compelling people to "Think Loud." The energizing work from San Francisco-based advertising agency Venables Bell & Partners demonstrates that ideas can't stand still – once captured, they fly into action. The animated-style campaign shows Post-it® Products not just as the canvas for your thoughts, but the catalyst to carry them forward. Core to the campaign are six :15 spots that were lovingly brought to life by the artisans at creative production company Gentleman Scholar.
Three spots ("School President," "Love Note" and "Melody") are tailored to the back to school season. Each features Post-it® Products rapidly exploding into an ultra-imaginative and frenetic audiovisual extravaganza. As each spot builds to a crescendo we see text and VO call consumers to, "Make your thoughts come alive this school year. Post-it® Brand: Think Loud!"
Highlighting the brand's Super Sticky Notes, the "Super Sticky" execution begins with a single blue Post-it® Note featuring the eye of an octopus. Utilizing a creative stop-motion animation approach, more blue Post-it® Notes grow from the center, until they form the animated mollusk who remains stuck to a desk due to the product's strong adhesive. Here, the text and voiceover convey, "Ideas come alive with two times the sticking power," before delivering the "Think Loud" slogan.
These first four spots debuted on the brand's social media channels on June 7. Two more ("Collaborate" and "Brainstorm") will launch online soon, focusing more on consumers in the office, with the latter ad introducing the Post-it® App. A national TV buy kicks-off in late July.
Gentleman Scholar Directors Will Johnson and Michael Tavarez joined forces to lead the campaign's production efforts, which used a sophisticated mixed-media approach to dial-in foundational storytelling aesthetics for the brand, then brought them to life in ways that feel real and magical. "Post-it® Notes are instantly recognizable shapes with vibrant color palettes and playful angles," Tavarez began. "We had a blast crafting the look and directing these animations."
Under the guidance of Johnson and Tavarez, the company's production was led by Managing Director Jo Arghiris, Executive Producer Kirsten Noll, Head of Production Tyler Locke, Senior Producer Adam Reeb and Line Producer Richard Kaylor. The partnership also included Director of Photography Stephen McGehee and Production Designer Trae King. Music and sound design are courtesy of Beacon Street Studios.
According to Johnson, "We see ourselves as mixed-media creators, and from the beginning, we were very excited about using these stories to allow the Post-it® Brand to literally jump off the page. For these worlds that breathe wonder, brought to life using real things that feel crafted and textural, each of these spots is an upbeat, eye-catching testament to the iconic Post-it® Brand we all know and love."
Working with the agency's scripts, Gentleman Scholar's designers engaged in deep exploration during the project's pitch phase, allowing them to present six gorgeous styleframes to the agency, along with a highly impressive motion test. Eight seconds in length, that convincing pre-vis video demonstrating the group's illustration and CG capabilities also spelled out distinct intentions for the production pipeline. In short, by pre-vising each spot entirely in 3D, the production aimed to map out framing and lensing decisions, guide the animation process and provide data for use in the live-action shoot, where a motion control rig would capture photography of actual Post-it® Notes.
Happily, upon project award, that plan worked like a charm.
Managing every production facet down to the last detail, early on, directors Johnson and Tavarez informed the creative partnership that their production design was more Wes Anderson than Steven Spielberg… favoring the simple yet stylish and artful. Designing all spots to create a personality that permeates them all – while still allowing each to stand on its own – each deliverable was also thought-through and optimized for social activation.
"We really wanted to lean into Post-it® Brand's multifaceted usefulness to create something ubiquitous and purposeful," added Tavarez. "The instantly recognizable shapes, the vibrant color palettes, the jaunty angles… each of these spots offers a unique view inside our brains. We're really proud of that!"
For Venables Bell & Partners, credits include Founder and Chairman Paul Venables, Partner and Executive Creative Director Will McGinness, Creative Director Gus Johnston, Senior Copywriter Carlos Savage, Senior Art Director Lachlan Palmer-Hubbard, Director of Integrated Production Hilary Coate, and Senior Producer Sasha White. Complete project credits are available upon request.
More aspects of Gentleman Scholar's craftsmanship behind this campaign can be viewed at http://www.gentlemanscholar.com.
About GENTLEMAN SCHOLAR
Gentleman Scholar is a creative production company drawn together by a love for design and an eagerness to push boundaries. Since launching in Los Angeles in 2010 and expanding to New York in 2016, Gentleman Scholar has staked its claim across all media platforms. In the hands of its diverse team the company continues to evolve in the disciplines of live-action production, animation, digital exploration, print, and VR. Experience its powerful fusion of story, style, technology and design at http://www.gentlemanscholar.com.
