Craig Gillespie of MJZ directed this spot, which is part of DDB Chicago’s new State Farm campaign titled “Here to Help___Go Right.” In this particular spot, the blank is filled in by “Potholes” as a motorist is finally victimized by an infamous pothole that has been wreaking havoc in the town for decades on end. The commercial takes us back to several of those incidents from yesteryear. This trip through history concludes as we return to today’s motorist who luckily is a State Farm customer. He calls upon his insurance agent who comes to the rescue.
The creative in the five spots across the campaign sheds some humorous light on a variety of insurance moments, both expected and unexpected, to show how State Farm and its agents respond when misfortune strikes.
Credits
Client State Farm Agency DDB Chicago Ari Weiss, chief creative officer, North America; John Maxham, chief creative officer, Chicago; Diane Jackson, chief production officer; Mel Routhier, executive creative director; John Hayes, group creative director; Brian Culp, Christoper Bruney, creative directors/art directors; Katie Bero, Adam Cook, creative directors/copywriters; Amy Turner, Mary Cheney, executive producers; Meghan Gross, producer; Jesse Bayer, group strategy director; Amanda Schuneman, strategist. Production MJZ Craig Gillespie, director; Emma Wilcockson, exec producer; Martha Davis, producer. Editorial Whitehouse Matthew Wood, editor; Meaghan Rahamut, assistant editor; Dawn Guzowski, producer. Audio Post Nicholas Papaleo, Justin Mayer, audio engineers; Cameron Aper, audio producer. VFX/Finish Eight VFX Shira Boardman, executive producer; Ryan Dahlman, producer; Jean-Marc Demmer, creative director; Julien Forest, VFX/CG supervisor; Tanner Owen, sr. crowd TD; Leticia Saldana, modeler; Thomas Lopez, rigger; Jaguar Lee, designer; Talia Gleason, lead Flame compositor; Jerry Hall, Nuke compositor. Color Grading Company 3 Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist; Katie Andrews, color producer. Music Comma Bonny Dolan, exec producer; Leigh Salzman, sr. producer; Peter Schmidt, Matt Kelly, composers.
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
