As fans look forward to an exciting few weeks of rugby, Guinness launches a campaign to rally fans and show its support to the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), the number one ranked male team in the world, crowned Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam Champions.
Developed by AMV BBDO, the campaign was inspired by a universal truth about being a fan: the feeling that your actions directly affect your team’s performance. It’s particularly true for Ireland fans this year, as they balance the excitement and expectation that comes with being the top ranked side.
Through social listening, Guinness and AMV identified that Irish fans’ worry that any overconfidence is going to come back to bite them. So, the creative work plays with the natural caution and self-deprecation of Irish fans by reminding, that allowing themselves to say what they could win can in fact cost their teams’ result. Whatever you do, don’t say Ireland is going to w*n. Or better, Don’t Jinx It.
This TV ad that kicks off the campaign was shot in sports-documentary style, with Ireland fans being interviewed about their hopes for the year ahead and their reflections on previous disappointments. With Ronan Keating’s “When You Say Nothing At All” playing throughout, it begins with a couple in a pub arguing over whether saying ‘Ireland was going to w*n’ cost the team a championship title once. In another one, colleagues in a local cafe persuade themselves that a few games will offer more than enough excitement.
Directed by James Rouse through Biscuit, the film in versions of 30 and 60 seconds will run on TV and social media. As part of the campaign, OOH reminding rugby fans to “not jinx it” will be placed near pubs nationwide. A series of activations across the country will also highlight past wrongdoings and get everyone supporting the Irish team in the right way this time.
In a joint statement, AMV BBDO creatives Will Brookwell and Louis Prenaud shared, “No matter what your sport or who your team is, we’ve all got too carried away and jinxed things – it’s a universal superstition that even the most skeptical of us believe to be true when it comes to sport. Heading into another enormous tournament with their team ranked #1 and previous years heartbreaks fresh in their minds, this insight has never been truer for Ireland fans. Guinness too is a huge fan of the national team, so our campaign aims to get ahead of the loose lips and remind everyone to support safely, and to never say that one forbidden thing.”
CreditsClient Diageo/Guinness Agency AMV BBDO London Nicholas Hurley, chief creative officer/creative director; Nadja Lossgott, chief creative officer; Will Brookwell, Louis Prenaud, creative team; Nick Godden, producer; Kieran O’Malley, assistant producer. Media Agency PHD Production Company Biscuit Filmworks James Rouse, director; Benji Howell, producer. Postproduction We Are Covert Sound Factory Studios Mark Hills, audio post
Top Spot of the Week: EHRAC, Animation Studio NOMINT Depict Life “In Limbo” As Families Search For Loved Ones
This animated film titled In Limbo depicts the journey of a heroic woman protagonist representing the countless families in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe (where Chechnya is situated) searching for their forcibly disappeared loved ones. Utilizing theatrical elements, the film highlights the unnatural disruption caused by enforced disappearances and delves into the profound trauma these families endure. It emphasizes their long battles with the domestic authorities as they seek answers. The film also underscores the vital role of community support in helping these families cope and continue their fight for answers, serving as a compelling call to action for justice and human rights.
Through intimate storytelling, In Limbo raises awareness of the ongoing uncertainty that leaves families in a perpetual state of limbo, unable to find closure.
Directed by Afterman--the animation duo consisting of Tsvetelina Zdraveva and Jerred North--and created and produced by London-based animation studio NOMINT, In Limbo was commissioned by the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC).
In a joint statement, Zdraveva and North shared, “Our film takes place on a theater stage, highlighting how such tragedies are far removed from ordinary life,” they continued. “The stage is circular, resembling an artificial, perpetually spinning obstacle course, with a target—the red tail lights—just within sight yet never within reach, symbolizing the family’s never-ending quest for justice.”
“We used a limited primary color palette to contrast the two worlds all families are pulled between. Minimalist compositions of starkly silhouetted characters and environments create the ominous atmosphere of a deeply painful and... Read More