Harry Cocciolo
Harry Cocciolo
San Francisco Zoological Society “Tail”
Agency: BBDO West, San Francisco
Production: Tool of North America, bicoastal
DP: Mark Plummer
Editorial: Nomad Editing Company, Santa Monica
Editor: Ben Longland
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Wyoming “No Brakes”
Agency: Cactus, Denver
Production: Tool of North America
DP: James Whitaker
Editorial: The Whitehouse, London, New York, Chicago and Santa Monica
Editor: Kevin Zimmerman
Affiliation: Tool of North America, bicoastal
How did you get into directing? I studied advertising, design, and film at the Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, Calif. And I worked for years on the agency side as a writer and creative director at agencies like Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and Leagas-Delaney. Over the years, I directed small projects as the necessity arose, and I enjoyed that process. I wanted to do more of it. So I decided last year to focus on this side of our business.
Why do you want to direct commercials? Television and print start in the same place, with an idea. But the process is obviously, wildly different. With television you have more tools at your disposal. As it happened, I spent most of my agency life creating television work. Even when you are working with brands like got milk?, adidas, AT&T, and Budweiser, it is very difficult to communicate with real truth and humanity. To do it in thirty seconds is extremely difficult. But it is powerful when you make it happen. I enjoy that challenge.
What’s your most recent spot project? I just finished a campaign for Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners, Sausalito, Calif. It’s for Lucas Arts’ new Star Wars video game. We spent much of the time shooting Jedi lightsabers, among other things. It was a lot of fun to work within that mythology. ILM handled all the post effects work and we mixed at Skywalker Sound in Marin County. They were wonderful.
Do you have plans to work in other areas–e.g. shorts films or features or TV? Have you ever done any of that in the past? I am focused on commercial direction. I enjoy the process. But what gets me excited is a great idea, something interesting, with real relevance to people. It can be funny or moving or something else all together. And that isn’t limited to any one format or medium.
What do you think is the best part about being a director? I like that the job puts you in the middle of all areas of the production. If you want it, there is a place for you in every decision and discussion. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys the process, that’s a wonderful place to find yourself. The tough part is that the process is not always within one person’s ability to control. It takes on a life of its own. Every day offers new challenges. And somewhere, hidden among them, there are opportunities to make the thing great. Unfortunately they don’t always announce themselves. You have to keep your eyes open and tease them out. That can be stressful. But that’s what separates the good from the bad.
Who is (are) your mentor(s)? Working with Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein, among other things, showed me how high you can set your standards and still be successful.
Not counting your own work, what’s your favorite recent ad? Why? I quite liked the work done for Sprint last year [out of Publicis & Hal Riney, San Francisco]. The campaign with the kids who were being charged for their “macaroni minutes” overtime, etc. It isn’t flashy or even pretty. It looks the way the idea suggested it should look. Cell phone services and prices are incredibly confusing, uninteresting and difficult things to talk about. Just imagine the brief. To create something that speaks that truthfully, that simply, is remarkable.
Effie UK and Ipsos Report Concludes Marketing Industry Should Do Its Part To Heal Societal Divisions
Society has never been more divided, according to a new report Healing the Divide in which Effie UK and brand and advertising experts from Ipsos explored brands’ role in shaping society and healing societal divisions.
The report details how instability, inflation, and COVID recovery —the convergence of multiple interconnected crises around the world that coincide with and amplify each other, causing hard to resolve systemic challenges, have become the norm over the past few years. As a result, the use of division as a weapon is now a major theme in today’s culture and politics, and sadly 47% of the UK and 49% of the US agree with the statement that “Within my lifetime, society in my country will break down,” according to Ipsos Global Trends 2024.
While some brands have tried to respond to this, the report finds responsible marketing is now threatened by weaponized division. It points to the World Federation of Advertisers’ decision to shut down the Global Alliance for Responsible Media following an antitrust lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s X, combined with DEI rollbacks, as significant setbacks.
The report says these setbacks underline the importance of marketing in solving collective problems, such as climate change, food security, and harmful online content. It also points to a need for marketers to take more interest in and more responsibility for healing divisions.
Research claims marketers are ideally placed to build and rebuild the antidote to division (trust, empathy, a sense of control, connection and collaboration). According to the Ipsos Veracity index of trusted professionals, society is becoming more trustworthy of advertising executives. Additionally, 57% of Britons agree that brands should communicate their... Read More