Directed by Johnny Hardstaff of RSA Films for JWT London, this spot shows us a young man in the slums of Honduras where he’s constantly pressured to join a street gang. However, this youngster has an alternative. U.K. Coffee brand Kenco has launched a “Coffee vs. Gangs” initiative whereby 20 at-risk young people will receive the education and training necessary to become coffee farmers.
John Smith of Whitehouse Post edited this :60 which feature VFX (scenes of tattoos in motion which reflect the peer pressure to join gangs) from Absolute, which maintains studios in London and NY.
Credits
Client Mondelez International–Kenco Agency JWT London Russel Ramsey, executive creatie director; Jaspar Shelbourne, creative director; Jess Oudot, copywriter; Matt Leach, art director; Carley Reynolds, producer; Lula Boardman, assistant producer. Production RSA Films Johnny Hardstaff, director; Annabel Ridley, exec producer. Editorial Whitehouse Post John Smith, editor; Lisa Kendrick, Bebe Evwaraye, exec producers. Post/VFX Absolute Music Eclectic Colin Smith, Simon Elms, composers. Sound Design Greek Street Studios Dan Weinberg, sound designer.
How do you top one of the most viral brand videos ever made? Spoiler alert: you can’t. But when Dollar Shave Club tapped Zack Seckler to direct a new campaign to revive the absurdist humor of its iconic launch video, he knew he had a rare opportunity to create something special.
The brief was simple: introduce the concept of a physical “Club” that people would love to join while showcasing Dollar Shave Club’s products and embracing the weird. From script to direction and post, Seckler--an alum of SHOOT’s 2021 New Directors Showcase--was invited to help sculpt that vision.
The result is this “Welcome to the Club” spot which invites us to join a unique, seemingly exclusive but in reality an accessible and affordable fraternity of Dollar Shave Club members. But you need to know the password or more accurately, the two-word phrase--"shave money."
“The Club” campaign brings the brand back to its humorous roots, reflecting a new chapter after being acquired by Nexus Capital Management from Unilever in late 2023. The work takes Dollar Shave Club back to its disruptive beginnings and what made the brand a viral sensation from its inception in 2011.
