While the life insurance company Modern Woodmen was founded in 1883 around the fraternal pioneering spirit, the new “Campfire Stories” campaign from advertising agency Cronin honors the real pioneers of today–moms. Cronin tapped into the contrast of modern culture and old-school values to break through the clutter. The anthem spot, directed by O Positive’s Brian Billow, features iconic characters–Pioneer and Cookie–as companions to a busy, hard-working mom who’s the hero of the story.
This campaign is the brand’s first in over 140 years. Billow, who’s an alum of SHOOT’s 2008 New Directors Showcase, said, “I loved the scripts as soon as I saw them. It’s a smart idea visually juxtaposing the pioneering spirit of Modern Woodmen’s history with a modern woman’s busy life to make a point about life insurance in a fun and relatable way.”
Credits
Client Modern Woodmen Agency Cronin Lester Ayala, SVP/head of production; Paul Catanese, executive creative director/copywriter; Scott Kaplan, Josh Gold, copywriters; Vlad Ivangorodsky, Margot Belyea, art directors; Jodi Ciarleglio, producer. Production Company O Positive Brian Billow, director; Ralph Laucella, Marc Grill, exec producers; Adriana Cebada Mora, producer; Paul Cameron, DP; Kevin Bird, production designer; Laura Eckert, costume designer. Editorial MackCut Ryan Steele, editor; Gina Pagano, exec producer. Post/VFX Parliament Eric Mason, VFX supervisor; Lexi Stearn, exec producer. Color Company 3 Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist. Music/Sound APM Music
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.
