In this spot for KIOTI Tractor from Raleigh, NC-based ad agency Baldwin&, the strategic decision to treat customers like dirt paradoxically equates to doing good business. Titled “We’ll Treat You Like Dirt,” the piece focuses on what tractor owners prioritize most–hard, dirty work on their land and the satisfaction that comes from doing the work themselves. The campaign features dirt in every form and on every surface–hands, faces, work boots, shovels and especially tractors—to show appreciation and respect for one of the most fundamental aspects of tending to the land: dirt.
“In the tractor market, advertising is all perfect people and shiny tractors across every brand, which isn’t accurate to the tractor life style,” said Russell Dodson, executive creative director at Baldwin&. “Showing perfectly groomed models driving squeaky clean machines would have been a miss. Our clients at KIOTI agreed that the best way to show our audience that KIOTI ‘gets it’, was to express our love for that ‘brown gold’ that all the others wipe off before the camera starts rolling.”
The “Treat You Like Dirt” ad opens with a shot of a KIOTI tractor pulling out of a barn, startling a deer, as a male voiceover promises, “At KIOTI, we’re going to treat you like dirt. Because we hold dirt in the highest regard.”
The closing focuses on dirt’s virtues: “We’re honored to find it under our fingernails. Lucky to be caked in it at day’s end. And we count our blessings every time we’re able to return to it…Dirt gets taken for granted by most. But if you know us, you know getting treated like dirt means getting treated with respect.”
Chris Malloy of Farm League directed the work, which was edited by Joel Miller of Cut+Run.
CreditsClient KIOTI Tractor Agency Baldwin&, Raleigh, NC Russell Dodson, executive creative director; Liz Stovall, production director; Scott Chalkley, sr. copywriter; Jennifer Matthews, director of design. Production Farm League Chris Malloy, director; David Burden, line producer; Tim Lynch, Michael Pizzo, exec producers. Editorial Cut+Run, NY Joel Miller, editor; Eytan Gutman, producer; Lauren Hertzberg, managing director. Color The Mill Nick Metcalf, colorist. Finishing Jogger Mike Tockman, producer; Joseph Grosso, artist. Music Aika Music Jessy Ribordy, composer; Charlie Campbell, Chris Slusarenko, producer.
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