Uncommon’s ‘Build a life’ hits the nail on the head for B&Q

B&Q’s first ad from Uncommon Creative Studios is a clever, uncompromising compilation of real-life footage that captures what it’s really like to live in a home. It’s the perfect antidote to the impossible Instagram interiors standard set by social media.

The footage comes from 69 different cities around the UK, and somehow escapes sentimentality by keeping its feet firmly in the nuts and bolt of DIY — real life without the worthiness.

Nils Leonard, co-founder, Uncommon said: “‘You can do it’ has never been a more powerful thought. The idea that you can build a room, a house, a life. Uncommon are proud to partner B&Q in their mission to help everyone build the life they want.”

Chris Graham, marketing director, B&Q, said: “We believe that anyone can improve their home to make life better. Our 27,000 colleagues, myself included, love hearing about the projects our customers take on – it’s what inspires and motivates us. The creative approach gathered many amazing stories of real families in their homes. We learned how they improved them, and how they became places were important life moments were created.”

When Uncommon won the B&Q account from the Engine in November, none of us could have foreseen just how significant our homes would be in 2020. This ad captures the claustrophobia but stays positive, and although it gets a bit overblown at the end, we can overlook that.

MAA creative scale: 9

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About Emma Hall

Emma Hall is a journalist and editorial consultant and is the former Europe Editor of Ad Age, where she covered European marketing advertising, digital and media stories. She has written for newspapers including the Financial Times, The Guardian, The Times and the Telegraph, and was previously a section editor at Campaign. Emma started her career in New York as a researcher for a biography of Keith Richards.