In this largely animation piece, a young man grows up ostracized for having one large hand. He lives a life of sadness and isolation until he meets another guy with the same physical characteristic.
They form a special bond and the animation turns to a live-action scene of two young men holding hands.
A message then appears on screen: “Being visible should never leave you feeling vulnerable.” It is followed by the slogan, “Everyone deserves to be in good hands” and the Allstate Insurance logo.
“Out Holding Hands” is part of Allstate’s outreach initiative to the LGBT community.
The short was directed by Holbrooks, a.k.a. Tom Brown and Daniel Gray, of Blacklist for Leo Burnett.
Credits
Client Allstate Agency Leo Burnett Susan Credle, chief creative officer; Charley Wickman, executive creative director; Sarah Block, Ed Odyniec, Christopher Warmanen, creative directors; Omari Miller, associate creative director; Zach Bonnan, copywriter; Todd King, designer; Veronica Puc, executive producer; Leah Karabenick, producer; Amrita Bhatia, sr. strategist; Chris Clark, sr. music producer. Production Blacklist Holbrooks (Tom Brown & Daniel Gray), directors; Adina Sales, exec producer; Alexander Unick, producer. Marika Cowan, Chris Carboni, Leland Goodman, animation; Andrew Zimbelman, Aaron Kemnitzer, compositing. Music Eli Lieb, recording artist; Pablo Mathiason, artist management.
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.
