Even in today’s challenging time, happiness is possible. You just need to look for the little things. This spot conceived by Publicis Italy and directed by Gabriele Mainetti via BRW Filmland for the Barilla company baked products brand Mulino Bianco delves into just that as a boy tries to find that special little thing that makes him happy. He observes what turns the trick for others–a girl classmate who twirls her hair, a man who rides his bicycle with his feet off the pedals, for example. The lad tries those things but they just don’t work for him.
Finally by accident he finds his simple pleasure one rainy day. Little everyday pleasures in life–often taken for granted–can lift our spirits even when living in times marked by uncertainty and fear. This boy’s pursuit of what makes him happy will be followed by a series of commercials in which other characters seek their own forms of joy ranging from sliding on handrails to eating a Crostatina crust side first.
These are all little moments of happiness, intimate and personal, and different one from the other. In them, we can all identify ourselves and find reminders of how happiness isn’t such a remote and unreachable aspiration.
Credits
Client Mulino Bianco Agency Publicis Italy Cristiana Boccassini, chief creative officer; Michele Picci, executive creative director/copywriter; Hugo Gallardo, executive creative director/art director; Diego Tardani, associate creative director/copywriter; Luca Boncompagni, associate creative director/art director; Bela Ziemann, head of strategy; Guglielmo Pezzino, strategic planner; Francesca Zazzera, head of TV production; Tania Dal Pra, TV producer; Ilaria Cormio, associate creative director/art director (commercial); Beatrice Mari, creative supervisor/copywriter (commercial); Livio Gerosa, associate creative director/art director (TVC product campaign); Sebastien Rouviere, sr. copywriter (TVC product campaign) Production BRW Filmland Gabrielle Mainetti, director; Nicolaj Bruel, DP; Marco Bussinelo, chairman; Luca Orlando, exec producer; Liza Fisher Foresi, Simona Ferraro, Michela Fiaschi, producers; Allegra Bussinello, social media manager; Francesco Narducci, production manager; Simona Furoni, production coordinator; Alberto Mangiante, 1st AD; Alex Brambilla, camera operator & Steadicam; Luca Merlini, set designer; Gemma Mascagni, stylist; Dalia Colli, makeup. VFX/Postproduction MPC Andrew Curtis, VFX supervisor/2D supervisor; Dafydd Upsdell, exec producer; Amie Kingsnorth, VFX producer; Jean-Clement Soret, colorist; Marjolein Verheij, David Filipe, Amy Smith, Nuke assist; Charles Downman, DMP; Jessie Amadio, 3D supervisor. Editorial Fabrizio Squeo, Stuart Greenwald, editors; Francesco Di Stefano, editor (director’s cut). Music “My Favorite Things” Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers, composers; Iagem CV, Rodgers and Hammerstein Holdings, main publishers; Cafe Concerto Italia S.R.L., Italian sub-publisher. Music Production Sizzer Michael Bertoldini, music supervision; Reimer Eising, arranger/producer; Luna Morgenstern, singer; Daan Temmink, arranger/producer. Sound Design inhousepost Audio Mix screenplay Voice Casting Stefano Alessandroni @ General Jingle
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.
