5 Things That Caught our Eye This Week
At the We Are Star (remote) offices, we’re always on the lookout for most striking industry news, inspiration and relevant stories that we’re constantly learning from and want to share with our audience. From the continuous momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement to screaming therapy from the hills of the Reykjanes Peninsula, Here’s what caught our eye this week…
Black Lives Matter – A World that Doesn’t Exist
With arguably the biggest global Black Lives Matter movements the world has ever seen taking over the media last month, every industry has since had to sit up straight and take notes on how they can make long-term changes. Although this is the first time that many companies and industries have chosen to take action, the fight has been ongoing before we were born and has a long way to go – to a world that has never yet existed before.
As much as awareness is important and nice, action needs to be taken and Pacific Educational Group’s Glenn Singleton talks about going beyond lip service and actually doing something that makes a difference. He says, “To the outside world, you can fake it. Many of the agencies and brands colluded around these lofty statements and emotionally charged words, and now, no one believes [them]. For those who have been a part of [the movement] before, the ability to remind people of how they’ve been engaged, and the ways that they’re continuing, is essential.”
“Work Wherever You Want” Says Siemens
At We Are Star, work from wherever you want has always been our policy; before, during and post-lockdown, so it’s interesting to see many big companies following suit, especially as the pandemic has changed how we all live and work. The Munich-based conglomerate Siemens has now said staff can work from wherever they feel most productive – and that means scrapping work hours for core hours and working from home indefinitely.
They have also launched an app for over 100,000 staff in 30 different countries. This aims to give out information on occupancy levels and updates on the latest Coronavirus news.
Hiring the right staff, agreeing on deliverables and expectations in advance, being on hand to support and giving your workers autonomy has always been our way of working and has always resulted in happy employees who stick around for the long-term and get the job done.
#Wombstories Trailblazing Campaign
Most women’s health adverts from the past have always censored unpleasantries with sterile graphics, blue liquids and pretty much no allusion to anything unpalatable. Periods, pregnancies, menopause and gynaecological illnesses such as endometriosis are some things that have long been skirted over in advertising.
But in a bold new film entitled #WombStories created by AMV BBDO for towel manufacturer Bodyform, has entirely disrupted that old-school narrative. With a cutting edge, deeply emotional visual interpretation of the ups and downs of being a woman, this kind of truly relatable advertising has caught the attention and opened the eyes of men and women alike and changed the way we see women’s health.
The Future of Touchless Experiential
Just one of the many aspects of life that has had to change because of the pandemic, immersive experiences are no exception. With our society having to turn more and more contactless – from payments to product-testing, experiential design is having to adapt as well.
According to Campaign Live, “as well as utilising our personal devices, gesture-recognition technology, motion-capture technology and pressurised flooring could also hold the key to an engaging experience.” This begs the question; can contactless experiences offer the same level of immersion and meaningfulness as brands did before the pandemic?
We All Scream for Iceland
M&C Saatchi have wowed viewers this week with their latest work with Icelandic Tourism board, all about screaming. Channelling scream therapy, Iceland are advertising their beautiful scenery as the place to go to let out all of the frustrations of 2020; of which there are surely many.
Sky News have said ‘seven speakers are being set up around the country for the campaign and participants can choose locations such as the peak of Festarfjall in Reykjanes Peninsula and Skogafoss waterfall.’
