Droga5 London’s “A voice is all you need” campaign for Amazon’s Alexa voice-activated virtual assistant includes this spot in which a man who’s ironing clothes serves as a quasi-director, asking peeved actors to twice re-do a pivotal death scene in a Game of Thrones-esque epic adventure fantasy.
Directed by Andreas Nilsson of Biscuit Filmworks, the commercial simply titled “Ironing” ultimately shows that the gent crouched over the ironing board is actually at home, watching the proceedings on a TV screen. He instructs his Alexa to rewind 10 seconds so he can finally fully see the demise of the show’s protagonist.
Turns out “a voice is all you need” to be in the director’s chair, simultaneously presiding over two contrasting worlds–the everyday and the epic.
David Kolbusz, chief creative officer at Droga5 London said, “The way we use Alexa is so idiosyncratic and reflective of our own voices so we needed great talent to bring these insights to life. Our actors did an amazing job.”
Credits
Client Amazon/Alexa Agency Droga5 London David Kolbusz, chief creative officer; Shelley Smoler, executive creative director; Jonathan Thake, copywriter; Ethan Bennett, art director; Peter Montgomery, producer; Manon Rees, assistant producer. Production Biscuit Filmworks Andreas Nilsson, director; Rupert Reynolds-Maclean, managing director/exec producer; Lee Groombridge, producer; Luke Thornton, production manager; Lasse Frank, DP; David Lee, production designer; Selila Wong, costume designer. Production Services Unit+Sofa (Prague unit). Editorial Cut+Run Ben Campbell, editor; Chris Hutchings, assistant editor; Ruth Minkley, producer. Postproduction/VFX The Mill London Misha Stanford-Harris, exec producer; James Beck, Nicola Simmons, producers; Jonathan Westley, creative director/shoot supervisor; Ben Turner, 2D lead artist; Peter Hodsman, Declan Andrews, 2D artists; Dan Yargici, 3D lead artist; Finlay Crowther, Jiyoung Lee, Paul Donnellan, Biswajit Tarafder, Bethan Williams, Murali Krishna Reddy, Roman Vrbovsky, 3D artists; Seamus O’Kane, colorist. (Toolbox: Flame, Nuke, Maya, Houdini, Baselight) Sound String and Tins Lawrence Kendrick, supervising sound editor; Jim Stewart, sound effects editor; Eimear Ni Ghuaire, audio post producer.
Stain remover Vanish presents this emotional short film--created by BETC Havas, Sao Paulo, and produced by LOBO--that explores the profound consequences of bullying and highlights the importance of open conversations between parents and children. Titled The Bully Monster, the animated film premiered at the Maquinaria Festival in Rio de Janeiro on February 15 in a special edition featuring family-focused programming.
The film’s protagonist is a boy who experiences bullying at school but keeps silent about his suffering. Isolation turns sadness into insecurity, creating invisible emotional scars that only grow in the absence of dialogue. When his mother notices stains on his uniform, these marks become the starting point for a revealing conversation. As words find space to make themselves heard, the stains begin to fade.
This initiative aligns with the Vanish Saves Your Uniform campaign, which, for the past three years during the back-to-school season, has engaged with parents by positioning the brand as a trusted partner in preserving school uniforms. This year, Vanish decided to broaden the conversation, bringing bullying into the debate as the real stain that can impact a child’s life.
The Bully Monster is being screened as preshow material in movie theaters starting February 20 and will also be available on streaming platforms and digital channels. In addition to the film, the campaign will include out-of-home activations and school initiatives through a partnership with Abrace – Preventive Programs, the founding organization of the “Bullying-Free Schools” program, which has been equipping institutions with resources to combat school violence for 12 years.
“Research indicates that stains on a uniform can... Read More
