Conversations on Twitter don’t just revolve around pop culture; users make pop culture.
Memes, creativity, hot takes make Twitter, Twitter. Embracing the chronically online culture aimed at our core audience (18-24-year-olds), the animated spots use original content made by users set to fun pop soundtracks. As Twitter’s first commercials, these spots gained a fair amount of press and were polarizing to those unfamiliar with the weirdness of meme culture that was not in the mass media yet.
Time said it was “manic and upbeat and laden with memes.” According to Ad Age/iSpot Hot Spots, which track TV commercials, the spots were voted Most Engaging ads show sustained social heat, ranked by SpotShare scores reflecting the percentage of digital activity.
The "Pope Visit" spot has 9+ million views on YouTube.
Twitter (X)
Catching the Moment
Our team created several versions of the spots to try to tie them in perfectly with breaking news, trends, and the results of the World Series and the NBA Playoffs.
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, it was reported that the marketing campaign for the game was one of the largest in the company's history.
This substantial investment contributed to the game's commercial success, with Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood shipping 7.2 million copies worldwide by May. This campaign included :30 and :60-second tv spots, a website all about murder weapons, and turning down the sound effects on the spot so it would seem “less violent” and meet TV broadcast standards.
Directed by David Slade (American Gods, Hannibal, Twilight).
DP: Jo Willems
Ubisoft Assassin’s Creed
Grammys
The Grammys were given a chance to run a 30-second spot on the Super Bowl. The problem was we had no available artists, only $40k, and less than three weeks to concept, shoot, and finish the film.
Using a little movie magic, we found face doubles of the Album of the Year nominees— had them lip sync to the music, and created a mini music video animating a catchy mashup of tracks from all five albums, including samples from: Kendrick Lamar, Alabama Shakes, Chris Stapleton, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd.
“The spot is a bit goofy—in a good way—and strangely hypnotic.”
— ADWEEK
Kung Fu Nuns
The Kung Fu Nuns belong to a 900-year-old Buddhist sect called the Drukpa, derived from the Tibetan word for dragon.
They are Nepal’s only female order to practice the deadly martial art made famous by Bruce Lee. In the inherently patriarchal Buddhist monastic system, women are considered inferior to men. Monks usually occupy all leadership positions, leaving nuns to the household duties and other tedious chores. But in 2008, the leader of the 1,000-year-old Drukpa lineage, His Holiness The Gyalwang Drukpa, changed everything.
They handle traditional weapons, such as the ki am (sword), small dao (sabre), big dao (halberd), tong (lance) and nunchaku (chain attached to two metal bars).
You may have heard about them on NPR, The New York Times, BBC.
Their goal: To promote gender equality and empower the young women, who mostly come from poor backgrounds in India and Tibet.
They teach self-defense, rescue abused and neglected animals, and promote awareness of human trafficking.
The Ask: Create a logo/branding before they make their first US tour. The logo would also be used as a medal/badge as part of the uniform, and across messaging.
Challenges: The logo must be readable from a distance as they travel, especially in countries with limited English.
It must reflect their bold mission and attitude, feel modern, but not throw away the tradition of the ancient sect.
Solution: A bold type logo that is easily legible, using the colors and layout of the Drukpa lineage flag + taking inspiration from the type of Kill Bill, a film that features badass female martial artists.
Side note: I grew up in a mixed martial arts family, training formally at a young age, and competing in the men’s full-contact combat division. Working on this project was a dream.
Ubisoft
Rayman Origins
The Brief: The original Rayman game in 2D was released in 1995. This game marked Rayman's big comeback for hardcore gamers in their late 20s- early 30’s. The client also wanted to appeal to a new Rayman audience, kids 7-12 year-olds.
The solution: Bitey jokes with physical comedy. Pixar gone wild? The premise is an actor going on a date with a single mom, and he starts being obnoxious as soon as she leaves the room. The 30-second TV commercial keeps it PG, while the longer Funny or Die spot tonally is more in the PG-13 category.
The Lesson: Never underestimate the power of “a little kid’s game.”
