Top Tips for Cannes
Riyadh Season
Confession: I’ve never watched a boxing match. But after this film, I’m all in and I think the judges will be too. The idea is simple. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are so tormented that they see each other’s faces everywhere. It’s a premise that we may feel we’ve seen before, but never executed to the absolute, bat-shit, far-fetched, unstoppable, full-throttle fever dream of putting Fury’s face on a sausage. It’s hard to get great performances, especially comedic ones, out of athletes, so I think this is a masterpiece of directing craft. These heavyweight champions of advertising deserve all the lions they can carry.
Burger King – Bundles of Joy
Giving birth is exhausting. Apparently, you can burn over 1000 calories doing it. So, who deserves a Whopper more than a new mum? It’s the wonderful truth at the heart of this perfectly executed campaign that gets me excited. Honesty runs through the whole thing. The campaign breaks down the barriers that put birth and motherhood on a pedestal. It refuses to let labour be some holy experience that can’t be witnessed or laughed about. It shows birth as it really is: hungry work. Hallelujah and pass the ketchup.
Neutrogena Remembers
Donna. David. Landlines. And yes, inflatable furniture. I remember it all. What a way to take a brand that I knew from the 90s and make it relevant to me a few decades later. Like hanging out with an old friend, this campaign reminds me that I’m old without making me feel old. I love the hijacking of Beverly Hills, 90210 in the hero film, but I also love the seemingly infinite content online that mines the 90’s throwback trend in a way that will also appeal to younger gens. It’s a great idea that will speak to the judges, many of whom will remember the 90’s from the first go around. Like, totally give them a lion.
Laura Rogers is ECD at AMV BBDO.
