5 Things That Caught Our Eye This Week – 11th March 2021

We celebrated International Women’s day in England this week by watching a pregnant lady being roasted on social media, because she dared mention how sad she was. Every time I think I have this country figured out, I find myself baffled again.Listen, I couldn’t really give a hoot about who is duchess of ‘this’, or disgraced archduke of ‘that’.I personally find the concept of ‘royalty’ in the 21stcentury faintly ridiculous, but I do care about the bullying and misogyny that is occurring right in front of my eyes.

Perhaps I’m just jealous; the likelihood of me becoming rich and powerful is as remote as a meteor landing my driveway.Hold the phone! This, rather improbably, happened to a family who live about an hour’s drive from me!

All this talk of lords and ladies must be having an effect on me, because the first advert I noticed was by Anomaly on behalf of Ancestry (what we weren’t all royal once upon a time?).The other adverts focus on women and diversity.BMB celebrate the stories of the successful women who work for Samsung and Mongoose used outdoor sports to encourage women to keep reaching for the top.  Don’t Cry Wolf used stories with underused protagonists to tell untold tales. Finally there was a contemplative piece by Mamapool.

1. Ancestry – “Bring Your Back Story to Life” by Anomaly

‘Bring Your Back Story to Life’ by Anomaly caught my attention. I like the thought of people excitedly thinking that their distant relative was a suffragette, some hero of history, maybe a great figure.  Most people weren’t. Talk to your grandparents for five minutes and you can figure that one out.“Well your grandpa Stan was a boilermaker for 50 years, and never once missed ‘Blue’ Friday down at the working men’s club”.  I guess the subject is fascinating though, and Anomaly highlights an innate desire in all of us to think of our antecedents as being ‘good’ or ‘worthy’.

Client: Ancestry
Agency: Anomaly

2. Samsung –  “ Celebrating International Women’s Day”  by BMB

As I mentioned in my intro, this week saw International Women’s day, a fact that was celebrated by Samsung and BMB. I loved the artwork; they looked like moving murals of feminine progress. The vibrancy of the advert was engaging and I like that it was based on the experiences of the women who work for Samsung, it gives a curious peek into their lives.  It sort of felt like a ‘Where’s Wally (or Wallis?)’ game of inspiration, I watched the video several times to try to follow the sub-narratives.  I suppose the idea that we are celebrating women actually having the ability to be a scientist or a doctor shows how far we have travelled. It is also a reminder of how far there is to go.

Client: Samsung
Agency BMB

3. The North Face- “Never Stop” by Mongoose

The International Women’s Day theme continues with Mongoose’s advert ‘Never Stop’, where outdoor sports are used as metaphors for women’s struggle for equality.  Slightly disappointed that there was not a single note of Journey in there, but I suppose ‘Never Stop’ is a little different from ‘Don’t Stop’.  Joking aside, I’m an active woman and I love The North Face, do you think you can hook me up with a jacket?

Client: The North Face
Agency: Mongoose

4. Tangle Teezer  “Hairy Tales” by Don’t Cry Wolf

I actually learned something whilst watching Hairy Tales, I had no idea how much work went into braiding Afro-Textured hair. That is the point of the work created on behalf of Tangle Teezer. There are very few stories from the point of view of black protagonists; as a result the things that affect them go largely unnoticed outside of their immediate circle. It is the small things that make people human and relatable to those who do not know them, the grammar and minutiae of people’s lives makes them endearing, Don’t Cry Wolf have clearly recognised this.

Client: Tangle Teezer
Agency Don’t Cry Wolf

5. Mamapool – “The Industry Needs to Create, Not Suffocate”

I like creativity.  A certain turn of phrase, an atmosphere created and things can become captivating so quickly. It is my sincere belief that a good idea, that is well executed, can genuinely be elevated into a work of art. This is why I like Mamapool’s clarion call to fight against spiritless marketing and mediocrity. I guess at the heart of things the industry should be about innovation and beauty and less about perceived ‘trends’ and what we ‘think’ people want. The desire to approach work with a guileless creative passion is intoxicating, and something that we should all definitely aspire to.

Agency: Mamapool