Everyone has a name–and from birth through a lifetime of introductions, it becomes the cornerstone of our identity. For many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), their given names carry an even deeper history and significance. But bias, indifference, and unintentional mistakes can lead to misidentification and mispronunciation.
In line with its ongoing advocacy for equality and inclusion, Procter & Gamble has initiated a campaign to address this problem at a time when bias against the AAPI community is on the rise. Conceived by agency R/GA, the integrated campaign aims to inspire conversation and encourage people to learn how to say AAPI names, because feeling a sense of belonging in society starts with one’s name. The campaign includes this film, titled The Name, which quickly chronicles the life of a Korean American girl named Yeong Joo (yUHng-ju) taking the audience on a journey from the day she is born, to an uncomfortable situation at school. While completely unintentional, the simple action of having her name mispronounced causes Yeong Joo to feel alienated and dismissed. However, the meaning of Yeong Joo’s name comes to life in the actions of her friends, allies and herself.
The Name was directed by Goh Iromoto via production company Sanctuary.
CreditsClient Procter & Gamble Agency R/GA Alex Sehnaoui, global chief growth officer; Tiffany Rolfe, global chief creative officer; Gabriel Cheung, global executive creative director; Xavier Teo, group executive creative director; Leah Alfonso, creative director; Woohyun Lim, art director; Maya Shaddock, Nathalie Tigua, Linda Yang, copywriters; Samuel Kim, Esther Lee, designers; Meghann Mackenzie, executive strategy director; Ashley DAmour, group strategy director; Aaron Harridge, strategy director; Amanda Wu, Clinton Wong, Jo Hayes, director of marketing sciences; Preeti Nadgar, executive director, connections; Daniel Morosi, group director, media & connections; Sonal Heda, executive producer; Satoko Iinuma, Carol Powley, executive content producers; Greg Netter, Rosie Ollero, sr. content producers. R/GA’s Asian Voices Culture Collective Production Company Sanctuary Goh Iromoto, director; Farhad Ghaderi, DP; Claire McGirr, line producer. Postproduction Cartel Sophia Lou, editor; Kaitlyn Battistelli, color. Music & Sound Andrew Seistrup, music; Jeremy Siegel, sound mixer.
Director Gia Coppola Teams With Mejuri For “A New York Minute”; 1st Episode Takes Us To The Grocery Store
Mejuri, known for turning fine jewelry into an everyday luxury, has partnered with director Gia Coppola (The Last Show Girl, Palo Alto) and The Directors Bureau in Los Angeles, for the first time reimagining the brand’s story as episodic content. In a series of microfilms, co-created by Coppola and premiering following New York Fashion Week, Mejuri eschewed a typical celebrity campaign and cast us as voyeurs to a group of aspiring young women--real people, not actors--at the crossroads of their adult lives against the backdrop of New York City.
Titled “A New York Minute,” the series features five real-life friends, who include one perfectly imperfect heroine named Emma. The women celebrate ordinary moments and interactions which reveal, sometimes retrospectively, the extraordinary within the mundane. Adjacent to the brand’s own community, the 30-something year old cast includes Laura Love (Emma), Rebecca Ressler, Natalie Vall-Freed and Rozzi Crane. Mejuri’s jewelry makes an appearance as the best supporting actor.
“When I met with Gia and The Directors Bureau team, there was instant creative and personal chemistry and a natural alignment on the desire to push and blur the lines between marketing, storytelling, and the construct of what a ‘campaign’ could be,” said Jacob Jordan, chief brand officer, Mejuri. “Gia was able to push that idea into something that truly feels new and artful, with a realism and relatability that almost feels jarring. Gia was such a perfect collaborator and partner, someone I had complete trust in to be a catalyst for Mejuri’s values of celebrating women as their truest selves. I can’t wait for us to continue to tell the next chapters of this story.”
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