From the comedic to the celebratory and much more, SHOOT’s most viewed videos of 2021 provided a wide range of treats–even including a trip to Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, and on a more serious note giving a measure of assurance that certain designated indoor places are safe during the time of COVID.
Getting the most looks among SHOOT Videos for 2021 was a PSA directed by Spike Lee for the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), which seeks to raise confidence in the safety of buildings and shared spaces in the wake of the pandemic. Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Michael B. Jordan, Robert De Niro, Venus Williams, Deepak Chopra and 17th Surgeon General Richard Carmona came together in this campaign to raise awareness about the importance of the WELL Health-Safety Rating, an evidence-based third-party designation to verify that a building or space has taken the necessary steps to prioritize the health and safety of their staff, visitors and other stakeholders. The celeb ambassadors in the spot encourage people to look for buildings and spaces with the WELL Health-Safety seal on their windows or doors to feel more confident in their decision to go inside. The overall campaign was developed by ad agency SWAT by Kirshenbaum, with the PSA produced by Pony Show Entertainment.
We detour to comedy for the second most watched entry of 2021, a commercial for Mars Petcare brand Greenies from adam&eveDDB, London depicting the hilarious and sometimes frustrating turns that life with a dog can take. Specifically a guy marooned on an island thinks he’s about to be rescued, until his energetic, exuberant dog intervenes. Nonetheless, the canine remains man’s best friend. Entitled “Stick,” the comedic ad was directed by Tim McNaughton of The Bobbsey Twins from Homicide via production house Blink (The Bobbsey Twins are handled by Blink in the U.K., Ruffian in the U.S.). The shoot was conducted and produced remotely during lockdown across three time zones.
Taking third place in our click countdown was a Chevy spot celebrating Major League Baseball’s “Opening Day in America,” deploying James Earl Jones’ speech from the movie Field of Dreams. The narrative accompanies a collage of historical moments, sandlot heroes and the quiet moments parents share with their kids on baseball fields. Jaci Judelson of production house Rakish directed for agency Commonwealth//McCann.
Finishing fourth in the 2021 tally is “Cocktail Party,” part of a Petco campaign devised by Droga5 NY in which people put themselves in their pets’ shoes in order to get a leg up on a dog, cat or other animal kingdom companion’s health and wellness. Directed by Harold Einstein of production house Dummy, the piece has people personifying pets. They discuss their greater wants and needs and the Petco offerings that help them achieve the same level of care that you’d expect for yourself. The absurdity comes from thinking you’re watching a man or a woman talking about their needs–until you realize that you haven’t been watching a human. You’ve been watching and listening to a dog, a cat or a fish. And when that moment hits, everything that came before it becomes funny. Laughter after all can also help one maintain health and wellness.
Our fifth entry in the click-worthy countdown of 2021 thrusts us into the “Morning Routine” for Ultimate Kronos Group (UKG), a global provider of HR solutions and workforce management software. Directed by John Merizelde and Kelsey Laroche of production company Florence for agency Zambezi–the :30 showcases a variety of perspectives of the pre-work routine. The spot opens on a businesswoman choosing an outfit, then continues to a man drinking his morning coffee while he shaves, a mother rushing out the door, and a nurse with prosthetic limbs grabbing his bike to commute to his job at a hospital. While the people are diverse, they have one thing in common – they show up for their employers each day. Despite the chaos weekday mornings can bring, the spot transitions to show each person arriving to work with the sense of belonging that comes from being supported with the help of UKG’s solutions.
The sixth slot in our 2021 countdown takes us to Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory which sports a new secret ingredient—workflows from ServiceNow, an enterprise tech company. In this commercial directed by Daniel Kleinman of Rattling Stick for BBDO San Francisco, we see how ServiceNow simplifies Wonka’s supply chains and IT management. We are also introduced to Wonka’s new CRO (chief reality officer) named Maxine, a workflow expert who is excited to be singlehandedly doubling Wonka’s C-suite.
Seventh place went to TherapeuticsMD’s “Long May She Reign” which raises awareness of women and menopause–in a bold new way while introducing IMVEXXY, an estrogen vaginal insert that can relieve moderate to severe painful sex due to menopause. Directed by Ivan Stojiljkovic of Contrast Eye for McCann NY, this commercial acknowledges that women over 50 years old are vibrant, active and in control of their lives. In fact the menopausal woman is depicted as Queen and IMVEXXY is her ally so she can conquer the bedroom for the rest of her reign.
Tallying enough views for eighth place was a Truly Hard Seltzer spot featuring global pop star Dua Lipa and directed by David Lachapelle via production house Superprime for Goodby Silverstein & Partners.
Settling into ninth place was another spot from Goodby Silverstein & Partners, this one for HP Instant Ink, a subscription that automatically delivers printer ink to your door before you run out. To promote the service HP enlists modern day spokes-vampires, portrayed by Beth Dover (Orange is the New Black) and Tom Musgraves (Fargo). The immortal couple has seen many human innovations over the centuries, but Instant ink changes their whole world. Titled “Midday,” this :30 is part of the “They Print at Night” campaign series of spots directed by It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Rob McElhenney via production house Raucous.
Rounding out the top ten is this recent brand film promoting the hit mobile puzzle game Merge Mansion. Oscar-winning Kathy Bates (Misery) portrays the game’s Grandma Ursula who’s determined to make her granddaughter Maddie’s search for answers as complicated and difficult as possible. Jim Jenkins of O Positive directed the campaign for Wieden+Kennedy Portland, Ore..
Here’s a rundown of the 25 most viewed SHOOT videos of 2021 (click on title to view):
1. Spike Lee Directs IWBI Spot Featuring Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Michael B. Jordan, Robert De Niro
2. Dog Gets On The Stick For Greenies, adam&eve DDB, The Bobbsey Twins
3. Chevy, Commonwealth//McCann, Director Jaci Judelson Play Ball, Celebrate MLB’s Opening Day
4. Droga5, Director Harold Einstein Put People In Place Of Pets At Petco’s “Cocktail Party”
5. Zambezi Depicts A Manic “Morning Routine” For UKG
6. BBDO S.F., Rattling Stick, Framestore Take Us To Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory For ServiceNow
7. McCann NY Bucks Pharmaceutical Ad Norm, Combats Menopausal Stigma With “Long May She Reign” Campaign
8. David LaChapelle Directs Dua Lipa In Truly Hard Seltzer Spot From Goodby Silverstein & Partners
9. Director Rob McElhenney, Goodby Silverstein Vamp Things Up For HP’s Instant Ink
10. Director Jim Jenkins, W+K Visit Kathy Bates At Merge Mansion
12. Bruce Springsteen, Doner, Director Thom Zimny Meet In “The Middle” For Jeep At The Super Bowl
14. Droga5 NY, Director Daniel Wolfe Take Us On A Wilde Journey To Wellness For lululemon
15. Top Spot of the Week: Droga5 NY, Director FKA twigs Go Longboarding For Facebook’s Olympics Campaign
18. Lexus, Team One Show Dangers of Texting & Driving In 4.6 Seconds
20. BBDO, Nexus Help Tiptoe Take First Step Towards Holiday Flight For Macy’s
21. Kate McKinnon, Dan Levy Spice It Up For Tostitos; Martin Granger Directs For Goodby Silverstein
22. Zambezi, Director Tim Kendall Play “Pied Piper” For Traeger Grills
23. Director Chloé Zhao, W+K NY “Make It Revolutionary” For Ford
24. Director Harmony Korine “Coastin’” For 7-Eleven, 360i
25. Ad Council, Pereira O’Dell, Willie Nelson, COVID Vaccines Get Us Closer To Being “Back In The Game”
