Uncommon shows how ITV trumps online echo chambers
ITV has a lot of territory to defend as alternative viewing platforms gain ground, and Uncommon is helping the broadcaster do this with some very strong work. This new brand film pays tribute to the TV station’s public service remit, demonstrating how ITV has tracked and shaped British culture over the years.
There’s a great pay off with Trevor McDonald at the end, and some powerful scenes demonstrating ITV’s contribution to issues such as gay pride, suicide awareness, and knife crime in mainstream shows like Coronation Street, Britain’s Got Talent, and even Good Morning Britain (although Piers Morgan is kept out of it).
It’s a shame that World in Action — which claims a pivotal scene in the ad — was taken off air back in in 1998 amid protests that ITV was dumbing down its current affairs output.
Nils Leonard, co-founder at Uncommon, said: “This work moves people to look again, at the stories they think they know, and at the network they have made their mind up about. While ITV entertains millions, it also asks questions of us all, brings modern tensions to bear and pushes culture forwards. ITV marries entertainment, scale and purpose week in, week out: this is creativity in its most powerful form.”
MAA creative scale: 9