Best Ads of the Week: Honoring Holocaust Memorial Day & Acid Attack Victims
There’s also an HCE initiative that lays bare online misogyny and a pressure campaign targeting Apple.
400 OOH sites across the UK were lit up to mark Holocaust Memorial Day
Every week, The Drum picks the top global campaigns from our Creative Works. You can submit your new work here.
This week, BLK reminded Black women to celebrate their true identities, Amica Insurance emphasized human connection in an increasingly digital world and Kawasaki unveiled its pro-mullet Super Bowl commercial debut.
HCE: Let’s Make Sexism a Part of History by BETC Paris
In recent years, rampant sexism on social media has become evermore prevalent. Sites like YouTube and TikTok are a hotbed for degrading content towards women and it is not hard to stumble upon hyper-masculinity and misogynistic rhetoric. On the heels of a report last year from the French High Council that highlighted this scary reality, BETC Paris has created an ad campaign that aims to fight the growth of sexist content online.
The film contrasts comments made in the 1970s with equally shocking remarks that are still found online today. The campaign is running across TV, radio and online.
Holocaust Memorial Day Trust: 6 Million Candles by St Luke’s
January 27 marks Holocaust Memorial Day, a time to remember the Jewish people who brutally lost their lives under Nazi persecution during the second world war. To commemorate the 6 million people who were murdered, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust has teamed up with indie London agency St Luke’s to light up 400 outdoor advertising sites with candles.
The lit candles are being displayed for a 10-minute vigil, which anyone can join, either in person or online. The sites include Birmingham New Street, Liverpool Towers, Manchester Arndale, the Edinburgh Arch, major London train stations – and a complete takeover of London’s Piccadilly Lights. All the ad space has been donated by Global, Clear Channel, National Rail, Ocean Outdoors and JCDecaux. St Luke’s work for the Trust is also pro bono.
BLK: New Year, Real You by Arxna
BLK, the largest dating app for the Black community, recently launched ‘New Year, Real You: #RealNotPerfect,’ a campaign developed in partnership with Black-owned creative comms consultancy Arxna.
A two-minute short follows a discussion between BLK’s relationship and intimacy expert, Marissa Nelson, and four Black women who recount a time they faced prejudice and judgment in various areas of their life for embracing their genuine selves last year, be it their traditional hairstyles or their manner of speaking. One woman writer recounts the prejudice she faced in the workplace despite being more than competent in her role. However, instead of diluting their authentic selves, each of the women decides to commit to self-acceptance and foster communities of people with similar experiences in 2024.
Acid Survivors Trust International: Tear Couture by McCann Health London
Renowned British photographer Rankin has lent his talents to a new awareness campaign for the Acid Survivors Trust International, producing a lookbook titled ‘Tear Couture’ in collaboration with McCann Health London. The publication features portraits of 59-year-old Belgian activist and acid attack survivor Patricia Lefranc, who tells her personal story and details the pain and suffering she has endured. With a foreword by HRH The Princess Royal, who is patron of the charity, the campaign follows the format of a traditional fabric swatch book that is commonplace within the fashion industry.
As well as showcasing the devastation caused by these horrific attacks, the book aims to grab the attention of the fashion and textiles industry. The Acid Survivors Trust, which was established in 2002, estimates that more than 10,000 acid attacks take place globally each year, predominantly on women and children, and the organization found a large proportion of these occur in South Asian countries where many fashion and jewelry factories operate and where hydrochloric, sulphuric and nitric acid are easily accessible. These incidents have risen by 90% over the past decade and over half of them go unreported.
Heinz: The Wait by 1984
It’s got to be Heinz, right? For many people around the world, the answer is unequivocally yes. Tapping into this, the condiment brand has kicked off a global campaign toasting the diners who are willing to wait irrational lengths of time for their ketchup (nearly 70% of people around the world, Heinz reports).
Launching in the USA, Canada, the UK, Chile, France, UAE and Brazil, the project draws on research from the brand that found that more than two-thirds of surveyed diners admit they’d rather wait to eat than go without ketchup – even if it means a cold meal. The short spot is the work of the Chilean creative agency 1984.
Now: True Detective Outdoor Ads by Stink Studios, Rapport Impact, Global Street Art
Streaming service Now has unveiled an innovative outdoor ad made with light-sensitive paint, creating a unique day-to-night transformation. The activation at London’s Old Street features silhouettes of the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station and vanish without a trace in the first episode of the season.
A collaboration between Stink Studios, Rapport Impact and Global Street Art, the poster marks the return of True Detective: Night Country, the fourth season of the popular crime drama.
Amica Insurance: More Human by Mother
Amica Insurance, known for its auto, life and home insurance services, this week unveiled a compelling creative campaign that encourages consumers to reflect on the importance of genuine human relationships in an increasingly automated and digital age.
The hero film, ‘More Human,’ directed by Diego Contreras of Love Song, made its debut this week. The narrative unfolds through a series of scenes depicting the frenetic and interconnected nature of today’s society, portraying individuals absorbed in their digital devices or engaging in transactional interactions devoid of genuine human contact. The pivotal moment in the film – a head-on collision between two vehicles – underscores the significance of one-on-one compassion and empathy.
Kawasaki: Mullets by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
Kawasaki’s first-ever Super Bowl LVIII spot sees WWE legend Steve Austin rocking a mullet, the asymmetrical haircut that never seems to fade away.
The motorcycle manufacturer released its full commercial on Thursday, which promotes its new Ridge side-by-side vehicle. It opens with Austin riding through the wilderness. Viewers then see various fauna, like a bald eagle, except that it’s not bald at all. Rather, it’s rocking the business-in-the-front, party-in-the-back hairstyle. The spot closes with Austin joining in and getting himself a mullet.
Trainline: Sticky Fingers by Mother
Digital rail and travel platform Trainline wants commuters to know that if they wait to purchase tickets at stations, they might be in for a heftier price tag than if they were to buy online. Using the BBC and Which? as references, it claims that commuters are, on average, paying 52% more than the equivalent ticket available on Trainline. To really hit home, Trainline took out a full cover wrap of the Metro newspaper, which is frequently available to pick up for free at train stations.
The print ad, by Mother, gives a ticket machine a menacing persona, calling it ‘Sticky Fingers’ and claiming the 800lbs metal dispenser is now on the run after being outed for swindling people out of money.
Heat Initiative: Rotten by The Soze Agency
Heat Initiative, a nonprofit that says it encourages tech companies to detect and eradicate child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) from their platforms, is launching another critical campaign aimed squarely at Apple. The new ad, titled ‘Rotten,’ accuses the tech giant of inaction in removing harmful imagery and materials on iCloud.
Viewers hear the accounts of real child sexual abuse survivors whose content is currently being shared on iCloud. “I was three months old when it started,” one survivor says. “The images of me have been found over 36,000 times. They’re on iCloud now.” As survivors’ voices are heard, an apple rots in a child’s hands. The ad closes as they proclaim, “Apple could help us. But they don’t.” The new ad, created with The Soze Agency, is part of the Heat Initiative’s $2m Apple call-out campaign.
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