Streaking at sporting events has become an international pastime–and fodder for lauded advertising such as Nike’s “Streaker” directed by Frank Budgen of Gorgeous, London, for Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore. And the tradition continues. For example, among the honored spots at this month’s Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) Show was Match.com’s “Andrea,” in which a man strips down to his briefs and runs across a football stadium field with a plea scrawled across his chest asking his girlfriend for forgiveness. Peter Chelsom of Independent Media, Santa Monica, directed “Andrea” for Hanft Raboy and Partners, New York.
In both spots, the stadium crowd reacts with cheers and laughter. Now the same is true for the latest streak, which is the centerpiece of an MTV Europe Foundation spot tied and timed to soccer’s World Cup. However, this time the laughter abruptly changes to poignancy for those watching on TV and the Web–and hopefully will drive traffic to an Internet site designed to address a problem fueled by World Cup fervor.
The MTV “Streaker” World Cup ad opens on a naked woman who streaks through a football field in the middle of a soccer match. The sight evokes the expected boisterous hoots, hollers and cheers from a predominantly male, testosterone-filled stadium. And then finally there are boos when two policemen catch the woman and cart her away.
Then we’re taken elsewhere–a secluded tunnel where a man and a woman are verbally and physically abusing a young scantily clad female. What little clothing is on the latter gets taken off forcibly. It turns out we’ve been taken back in time just a few minutes. The now nude woman is pushed out from the tunnel onto the football field.
A super then appears against a dark background; it simply reads, “Still Cheering?” A subsequent super elaborates: “Thousands of women and girls will be trafficked into Germany during the World Cup and forced into prostitution.”
And end tag implores us to “End Exploitation & Trafficking,” accompanied by the logos for the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the International Organization For Migration (IOM), as well as a Web site address: www.mtvstreaker.com.
On the site, people can watch the spot again or for the very first time and obtain hotline info for anonymously reporting to the German authorities any cases of trafficking and forced prostitution they’re aware of. The site also directs people to www.mtvexit.org, the MTV Europe Foundation’s 14-language anti-trafficking Web site. The MTV Exit initiative encompasses not only the Web site but also MTV feature programming presented by Angelina Jolie, Gavin Rossdale, Helena Christensen and Howlin’ Pelle from The Hives.
“An increase on the demand side for sexual services during a major global sporting event, whatever the country, will inevitably attract traffickers who will see an opportunity to turn a quick profit,” stated IOM head of counter trafficking Richard Danziger. “This is why we have decided to team up with the MTV Exit campaign. The campaign message is a strong one and we hope it will jolt viewers into changing their attitudes.”
According to IOM estimates, some 200,000 people are trafficked into and within Europe annually; the majority of them are women and girls who are forced into sex slavery.
The “Streaker” spot was directed by Dominic Murphy of bicoastal/international Partizan for JWT London. The JWT ensemble consisted of executive creative director Nick Bell, art director Mark Norcutt and copywriter Laurence Quinn.
Emily Crofton-Atkins produced for Partizan. The DP was Ross MacLennan.
The MTV Europe Foundation is a registered U.K. charity closely affiliated with MTV Networks Europe. MTV’s “Streaker” ad premiered globally this month on MTV. Furthermore, the spot is being offered rights free to any broadcaster worldwide in 17 language versions.
JWT’s Bell related, “Once in a while this business offers the opportunity to do something significant for a worthwhile cause. This is such an opportunity and I would like to publicly credit Dominic Murphy and everyone involved in this project for movingly capturing the horrific nature of this issue.”
Matthew Forrest Launches Commercial/Branded Content Production Company Cloud Forest
Producer Matthew Forrest has officially launched Cloud Forest, a Los Angeles-based video production company specializing in commercials and branded content, with additional capabilities in emerging formats like AI and VR.
With the mantra “Where your vision meets our production precision,” Cloud Forest aims to serve brands, agencies and networks with a blend of creativity and operational efficiency.
Forrest brings over 20 years of experience to Cloud Forest. His portfolio includes producing commercial content for Square, Aveeno, and Lyft, branded content series for KitchenAid, Pizza Hut, and Verizon, and projects like Mariah Carey’s “Keys of Christmas.” Forrest’s career highlight came at Endemol Shine, where he earned a Sports Emmy in 2018 for producing Life VR’s “Capturing Everest.”
“Leveraging my varied experiences in both traditional and digital formats, I’m excited to create content across a wide array of platforms with the partners I admire,” said Forrest. “Our focus is on delivering excellence in commercials and branded content, while also offering cutting-edge solutions in AI and VR when appropriate for our clients’ needs.”
Cloud Forest’s talent roster currently features long-time Forrest collaborators such as commercial directors Ben Pluimer, Michael Belcher, Clyde Bessey, Christopher Louie and Kevin K. Shah; director/photographer Shawn Corrigan; photographers Gabriela Oltean and Will Deleon; and creative directors Natalie Perry and Drew Grossman. The studio’s strength lies in curating the right team and accurately defining the necessary resources--budget, roles, and technology--allowing every project to meet its creative and business goals.
This approach has earned praise from industry... Read More