Grandma Ursula from Merge Mansion is raking up a mystery with the Oscar-winning Kathy Bates portraying her in the debut brand films from the puzzle game. The hit mobile puzzle game that has people buzzing about the characters behind the screen launched globally earlier this year and has close to 20 million downloads.
The very first live-action Merge Mansion brand campaign crafts a playful and suspicious tone as Grandma Ursula is determined to make her granddaughter Maddie’s search for answers as complicated and difficult as possible. Unique to the mobile game space, this brand is using an A-list celeb and prime broadcast and digital media to capture audiences and elevate to the likes of an entertainment franchise.
In this film Grandma Ursula isn’t where she appears to be, with the help of a decoy.
Jim Jenkins of O Positive directed the campaign for Wieden+Kennedy Portland.
Bates said, “Ursula and I fit like a pair of beloved old garden gloves! What a crazy grandma. I loved scurrying around the grand old house. So much fun working with the brilliant Jim Jenkins and Grace Rex who played my granddaughter—a very talented young actress.”
Credits
Client Metacore Games Oy/Merge Mansion Agency Wieden+Kennedy Portland Matt Sorrell, Jason Kreher, Katie Willis, Ryan Snyder, creative directors; Liam McKay, art director; will Curtis, Farha Chowdhury, copywriters; Orlee Tatarka, head of production; Ricara Stokes, executive producer; Nani Weinberg, film producer; Devin Brown, interactive producer; Mike Weihs, design director; Luke Wilhelmi, Hui Chen Ou Yang, Taylor Geick, designers; Scott Meisse, design producer; Indiana Matine, strategic planning. Production O Positive Jim Jenkins, director; Marc Grill, exec producer; Ralph Laucella, head of production; Sameet Patadia, production supervisor. Editorial Mackcut Gavin Cutler, editor; Brendan Hogan, assistant editor. Online Finish/VFX Yours Truly, KEVIN Tim Davies, executive creative director; Sue Troyan, sr. exec producer/partner; Andrew Cowderoy, VFX producer. Color Company 3 Dave Hussey, colorist; Mario Castro, sr. producer. Music New Math Music Jared Hunter, Kala Sherman, Dave Wittman, Ray Loewy, composers. Sound Design/Mix Field Day Noah Woodburn, sound designer, mixer; Leslie Carthy, exec producer. Graphics Yours Truly, KEVIN
Continuing their partnership to combat the mental health crisis among America’s youth, the Ad Council and McCann New York have released the latest installment of the “Sound It Out” campaign which focuses on helping parents and caregivers have meaningful conversations with their kids about emotional wellbeing.
The new work, “Listening is a Form of Love,” focuses on the important role parents and caregivers play in supporting young people’s emotional wellbeing and is supported by new data from Surgo Health’s Youth Mental Health Tracker. The survey highlights that: 55% of youth (ages 10-24) report mental health struggles; and one in five youth report symptoms of depression, and one in four report symptoms of anxiety.
The film includes an interactive digital experience that invites parents to practice “holding space” by pressing the space bar to listen to kids sharing what they wish their parents could hear, in their own words. Along with this literal interpretation of the active listening the campaign encourages, the website also gives valuable tools to help parents and caregivers be better listeners, and in turn, better support their kids.
There is also this 60-second PSA--directed by Alex Fischman Cardenas via Greenpoint Pictures--which underscores the power and importance of listening to your loved ones.
