This spot starring Christoper Walken (a slightly extended version of the :60 that will air during the 3rd quarter of the Super Bowl) is part of a larger integrated campaign that will roll out across various digital, social and promotion channels. The goal of the campaign is to introduce the next-generation Optima as a major evolution of the midsize sedan that stands out in a category happy to stay in the middle. With “Walken Closet,” Kia brings to life the audience mindset that Optima embodies: Kia and Optima are for drivers who choose exciting over expected and who choose to stand out rather than blend in.
A guy walks into his “Walken Closet” where actor Walken shows him beige socks which reflect a brand existence as compared to multi-colored socks which represent living life to the fullest. That segues to one of the closet walls opening to reveal the colorful sock of cars, namely the 2016 Kia Optima which is the antidote to the mundane monotony rampant in the midsize sedan category.
“Walken Closet” was directed by Matthijs Van Heijningen of MJZ for agency David&Goliath. This is
Credits
Client Kia Agency David&Goliath David Angelo, founder/chairman; Colin Jeffery, chief creative officer; Mike Geiger, chief digital officer; John O’Hea, Brandon Davis, creative directors; Shaun Wright, Mike Cornell, art directors; Joe Shaner, Andy Sciamanna, copywriters; Bernice Chao, Matt Koulermos, sr. digital art directors; Katherine Ahn, sr. designer; Frannie Rhodes, director of creative services; Kemit Ray, sr. project manager; Paul Albanese, director of broadcast production; Christopher Coleman, executive broadcast producer; Andrea Mariash, director of art production; Justine Kleeman, digital producer. Production MJZ Matthijs Van Heijningen, director; Joost van Gelder, DP; Eriks Krumins. sr. exec producer; Donald Taylor, producer. Editorial Cut+Run Steve Gandolfi, editor; Sean Fazende, assistant editor; Michelle Eskin, managing director; Carr Schilling, exec producer; Amburr Farls, head of production. VFX/Post MPC Paul O’Shea, VFX creative director; Karen Anderson, VFX sr. producer; Mark Holden, VFX sr. compositor; Ricky Gausis, colorist; Meghan Lang, color exec producer; Rebecca Boorsma, color associate producer. Music & Sound Design stimmüng Cyrus Melchor, composer; Gus Koven, sound designer; Rory Doggett, creative director; Ceinwyn Clark, exec producer. Audio Post Margarita Mix Nathan Dubin, sound engineer.
Continuing their partnership to combat the mental health crisis among America’s youth, the Ad Council and McCann New York have released the latest installment of the “Sound It Out” campaign which focuses on helping parents and caregivers have meaningful conversations with their kids about emotional wellbeing.
The new work, “Listening is a Form of Love,” focuses on the important role parents and caregivers play in supporting young people’s emotional wellbeing and is supported by new data from Surgo Health’s Youth Mental Health Tracker. The survey highlights that: 55% of youth (ages 10-24) report mental health struggles; and one in five youth report symptoms of depression, and one in four report symptoms of anxiety.
The film includes an interactive digital experience that invites parents to practice “holding space” by pressing the space bar to listen to kids sharing what they wish their parents could hear, in their own words. Along with this literal interpretation of the active listening the campaign encourages, the website also gives valuable tools to help parents and caregivers be better listeners, and in turn, better support their kids.
There is also this 60-second PSA--directed by Alex Fischman Cardenas via Greenpoint Pictures--which underscores the power and importance of listening to your loved ones.
