The latest round of “Business Card Chronicles” for American Express draws inspiration from a special place of the sourdough variety, punctuated with starter puns like Dough-Re-Me, Sir Rise-A-Lot and Dough Quixote. Directed by Brian Beletic of SMUGGLER for agency dentsuMB, this long-form spot, titled “The Dough,” introduces us to a baking entrepreneur who finds herself needing capital for an ever growing sourdough business (with American Express to the rescue).
“We wanted to show the unexpected hurdles small-business owners face in running day-to-day operations,” shared dentsuMB global executive creative director Julie Scelzo, who added that these stories (the other being centered on a pair of architects designing mini-homes) were inspired by two trends over the last year or so: the nationwide sourdough craze—and the desire to flee cities in search of nature.
Credits
Client American Express Agency dentsuMB Menno Kluin, chief creative officer; Julie Scelzo, global executive creative director; Christina Pitsinos, creative director; Gavin Zarin, sr. art director; Aaron Sheinberg, copywriter; Ed Zazzera, EVP integrated production; Katie West, sr. producer integrated production; Jerry Krenach, SVP, music production. Production SMUGGLER Brian Beletic, director; Sue Yeon Ahn, exec producer. Editorial/Post PS260 Maury Loeb, editor; Ashley Ingbretson, assistant editor; Evann Payne, sr. producer; Zarina Mak, managing partner; Margaret Yang, lead Flame artist; Carlos Morales, Jon Jovich, Flame artists; Anthony Augusta, Flame assistant; Natalie Raffaele, finishing producer; Patrick Lavin, GFX director; Golpar Jalali, GFX. VFX Parliament Music Consortium Seth Olinsky, composer. Audio Post Sonic Union Michael Marinelli, engineer. Color Company 3 Tim Masick, colorist. Voiceover Judah Friedlander
For the global EX30 Cross Country launch, Volvo and creative agency Forsman & Bodenfors wants to de-dramatize the outdoor experience--and remind people that small trips into nature can be grand experiences.
Cross Country is Volvo’s concept of turning their regular cars into more outdoor-capable versions, with higher ground clearance, all-wheel drive and other features making it more capable and off-road ready. And now, the compact, fully electric EX30 becomes available as a Cross Country version. It’s a small car designed for big experiences, made to elevate both urban living and outdoor adventure, and to bring people closer to nature.
“With Volvo being such a human-centric brand, it felt natural to focus on the human side of nature. The child’s perspective became the perfect metaphor for this, to spend time in nature on nature’s terms,” said Karl Risenfors, creative at Forsman & Bodenfors.
In a category that often portrays epic journeys deep into the wilderness, the campaign serves as a reminder that even everyday adventures can be memorable experiences. Thus this launch spot--directed by Marcus Ibanez via production company New-Land--shows nature through the point of view of a child. A child’s imagination and perspective generates a visual metaphor for the magic that nature can bring, no matter the scale of the adventure.
