In an effort to drive global viewership for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, adam&eveDDB created a campaign which dismisses the conventional idea that the Paralympics competition is primarily about bringing together persons with disabilities to participate in joyous sporting harmony. Instead “The Paralympic Dream” campaign emphasizes all the impressive athleticism and edge-of-your-seat competition that takes place during the event.
This :60 TV spot–a collaborative effort between adam&eveDDB New York and London with Sam Gainsborough of Blinkink directing–cuts through the condescending tropes, showcasing the Paralympic Games for what it truly is: a high-performance sporting event, serving as an arena for preeminent athletes to exhibit their fierce sporting talent and compete against the best.
Starting in a dream-like animated world where athletes run, jump, fence, and paddle, we see lovable characters traveling hand-in-hand through a fantastical Paris. They frolic among fluffy clouds, flowers, and bright colors, all set to the sound of Paul McCartney’s anthem, “We All Stand Together.”
This saccharine picture of the Paralympics is then suddenly shattered as British Paralympic taekwondo athlete Amy Truesdale is kicked in the chest and crashes to the mat–the message comes across loud and clear, “They’re not playing games.” The animated world is then juxtaposed with the harsh reality of competitive sports as we experience the grunts, clashes, sweat, and triumphs of the true athletes that the Paralympians really are.
Inspired by French animation icon Sylvain Chomet, Gainsborough and a team of 20-plus animators led by Reg Isaac crafted an idyllic 2D world before dropping a sudden tonal shift that uses powerful live-action footage from the games.
The campaign broke on May 20 to mark the 100-day countdown to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. It launches online on the International Paralympic Committee’s owned channels, and will roll out globally in up to 185 countries and territories, across TV, online, and social, thanks to the support of Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Media Rights Holders, National Paralympic Committees and International Federations.
cain&abelDDB worked on all global adaptations of the campaign, delivering over 140 assets across nine different languages for TV, online, and social.
Richard Brim, global chief creative officer, adam&eveDDB, said, “We’re super proud of this piece of work for the International Paralympics Committee out of New York with strategic support from London. When people talk about the athletes taking part in the Olympics, they tend to talk about them competing and yet when they talk about them taking part in the Paralympics, they talk more about them participating. What is that about?”
Client International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Agency adam&eveDDB New York & London Richard Brim, chief creative officer; Daniel Bonder, David Brown, executive creative directors; Chris Brailey, Rafa Oliveira, associate creative directors; Abbie Noon, head of integrated production; Jonny Weiss, executive producer; Kayla Rudess, associate producer; Martin Beverley, chief strategy director; Niko Brown, head of adam&eve studios NYC; Tommy Lombardi, studio manager. Agency for Global Adaptations cain&abelDDB Production Company Blinkink Sam Gainsborough, director; Josef Byrne, exec producer; Alex Halley, head of production; Gareth Owen, producer; Charlotte Herbert, production manager; Ewa Luzco, concept artist; May Taraud, Barbara Oliveira, character designers; Clement Danveu, Romy Yao, Tiago Camilliari, Olga Sokal, Gabriel Nagypal, matte painters; Daniel Quirke, researcher/editor; Sarah Jane Jones, 1st AD; Joe Gainsborough, DP; Reg Isaac, lead 2D animator; Yagiz Misirli, Tugrul Tiryaki, Laura Nailor, Andrea Simonti, Marc Valls, Weiden Wong, animators; George Johnson, 2D FX animation; Katie Spangenburg, clean up lead; Richard Smithson, Krisi Zhupali, Simona Mehandzhieva, Sameera Joshi, Karolin Spangenburg, Gerry Gallego, Denise Dean, Joe Cheng, Saffron Lea Mackie, clean up; Andrew Khroskavani, lead compositor; Simone Ghilardotti, Stephen Mcnally, Luca Schenato, compositing; Mirko Jankovic, rendering; Chris (William) Morrell, editor. Music & Music Licensing “We All Stand Together” by Paul McCartney; Leland, music supervision; Toby Williams, director & music supervisor. Editorial Cabin Dusten Zimmerman, editor; Maura Kent, Joe Carugati, assistant editor; Lynne Mannino, producer; Michelle Dorsch, head of production; Maggie Meade, managing partner. Sound Design/Mix Aaron Reynolds, executive creative director, supervising sound designer, mixer; Isaac Matus, sound designer & mixer; Vicky Ferraro, exec producer; Eleni Giannopoulos, audio post producer; Austin Ferreira, Xander Zooi, transfer engineer. Color Grade Cheat Karol Cybulski, colorist; Mikael Nakkas, producer. Finishing Parliament Keith Sullivan, Miles Essmiller, creative team; Anna Kravstov, Kate Matos, production team. Talent Amy Truesdale, athlete; Andrew Deer, coach.
Director Gia Coppola Teams With Mejuri For “A New York Minute”; 1st Episode Takes Us To The Grocery Store
Mejuri, known for turning fine jewelry into an everyday luxury, has partnered with director Gia Coppola (The Last Show Girl, Palo Alto) and The Directors Bureau in Los Angeles, for the first time reimagining the brand’s story as episodic content. In a series of microfilms, co-created by Coppola and premiering following New York Fashion Week, Mejuri eschewed a typical celebrity campaign and cast us as voyeurs to a group of aspiring young women--real people, not actors--at the crossroads of their adult lives against the backdrop of New York City.
Titled “A New York Minute,” the series features five real-life friends, who include one perfectly imperfect heroine named Emma. The women celebrate ordinary moments and interactions which reveal, sometimes retrospectively, the extraordinary within the mundane. Adjacent to the brand’s own community, the 30-something year old cast includes Laura Love (Emma), Rebecca Ressler, Natalie Vall-Freed and Rozzi Crane. Mejuri’s jewelry makes an appearance as the best supporting actor.
“When I met with Gia and The Directors Bureau team, there was instant creative and personal chemistry and a natural alignment on the desire to push and blur the lines between marketing, storytelling, and the construct of what a ‘campaign’ could be,” said Jacob Jordan, chief brand officer, Mejuri. “Gia was able to push that idea into something that truly feels new and artful, with a realism and relatability that almost feels jarring. Gia was such a perfect collaborator and partner, someone I had complete trust in to be a catalyst for Mejuri’s values of celebrating women as their truest selves. I can’t wait for us to continue to tell the next chapters of this story.”
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