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Five Star Work
(1-25 of 25) |
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McDonald's
"It Must Be" |
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40s
18 Oct 2018 |
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A blossoming romance takes centre stage in this youth-focused ad for McDonald's. Directed by Sara Dunlop, the film sees a group of friends spending a day by the seaside together... although apparently most of them are joyless sods who don't like ice cream. One enterprising girl takes advantage of the group's reticence to stop for a cold treat, however.
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Bose
"Café" |
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60s
18 Oct 2018 |
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Bose encourage customers to tune out the everyday with this classy ad. When the hustle and bustle of a busy coffee shop becomes too distracting, noise-cancelling headphones allow a designer to mute the world so inspiration can strike. The premise is skilfully executed by director Juan Cabral, whose restrained approach gives the film a deftly dreamlike quality.
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Girls Who Code
"Anthem" |
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3 mins 04s
15 Oct 2018 |
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Girls Who Code mark International Day of the Girl with an upbeat cover of ‘O-o-h Child' by the Five Stairsteps. Eager to mobilise the next generation of female coders, programmers, and computer science whizzes, the organisation lend the Seventies soul classic a net-savvy lick of paint. Director Kathryn Ferguson proves up to the task here, delivering a kinetic promo-stroke-awareness film with plenty of energy to burn.
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Three
"Phones Are Good" |
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2 mins 33s
17 Oct 2018 |
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Three thumb their nose at technophobes with this excellent ad singing the not-so-humble phone's praises. Directed by Ian Pons Jewell, it dismisses at the haters who claim we were better off in the 'good old days' before the scourge of mobile technology. The premise - that phones would have improved history - is deceptively simple... it's the execution which makes this such an entertaining watch.
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TUI
"Reunion" |
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60s
15 Oct 2018 |
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There's a useful ambiguity in the casting of this delightful ad for Tui and we're not sure how intentional it is. It seems likely that this depicted duo are intended to be mother and daughter but - because the relationship isn't explicitly defined - it's also possible that they're sisters, or aunt and niece. It prompted some lively discussion here at DAVID HQ, that's for sure.
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ONE Campaign
"When I Grow Up..." |
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1 min 38s
12 Oct 2018 |
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This powerful film sends an important message about the way poverty often has a greater impact on female members of society. A number of schoolgirls are answering a question about their future and - at first - they reflect the typical aspirations of those their age. They are upbeat, even though they clearly reflect the reality of growing up in a patriarchal society.
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Global Girls Alliance
"Think" |
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2 mins 40s
15 Oct 2018 |
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Director MJ Delaney brings her usual zest to this feel-good outing for the Global Girls Alliance - an initiative spearheaded by Michelle Obama and the Obama Foundation. As well as tapping the former First Lady, Delaney and her young cast channel the late Aretha Franklin for a near-three-minute think piece.
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Party City
"It's On" |
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60s
12 Oct 2018 |
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America takes Halloween pretty seriously, being that they're major fans of the horrific and macabre (just look at their politics). On the lighter end of the scale, this ad for costume store Party City reminds spook enthusiasts to prepare for the holiday in advance - well before the deluge of trick or treaters arrives.
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March for Our Lives
"The Most Vicious Circle" |
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9 mins 38s
13 Oct 2018 |
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This PSA-cum-music promo from March for Our Lives is a triple threat. As well as fusing grim subject matter with a dominoes-inspired set piece, the work neatly illustrates the US's dire record on school shootings… by repeating the same bullet-ridden promo three times in a row. It's a bold gambit in this age of dwindling attention spans and desensitised audiences, but the craft on show rewards patient viewers.
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Gemfields
"Art Gallery" |
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50s
11 Oct 2018 |
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This quirky blend of live action and animation draws attention to Gemfields's commitment to responsibly sourced coloured gemstones. Like a contemporary art twist on ‘Toy Story', the ad takes place in a gallery where things get even livelier after the patrons have gone home for the night. From geometric rhinos to three-dimensional graffiti art, the nimble cast add extra personality to the brand's ethical mission statement.
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Amazon Prime
"Lucifer" |
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60s
11 Oct 2018 |
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Sin is in, if this latest promo for Amazon Prime is to be believed. One of four films from Droga5 and director Steve Rogers, the ad takes inspiration from (oc)cult favourite series 'Lucifer' - as it influences a repressed bloke to experience just how good being bad can feel. A wry descent into rebellion from the streaming giant.
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Amazon Prime
"Outlander" |
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60s
11 Oct 2018 |
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Droga5's Amazon Prime campaign is going from strength to strength with its tales of binge-fuelled lifehacks. This latest instalment is a 60" romp inspired by time-hopping titillator ‘Outlander', with a couple rediscovering their mojo over the course of a season… leading to some public displays of affection which flirt with public indecency.
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Barclays
"Card Freeze" |
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30s
9 Oct 2018 |
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There will be those who challenge the idea that this ad deserves five stars because it's not the kind of work likely to trouble an awards jury, and - frankly - that's the misguided metric the industry often uses to judge work. But it fully deserves five stars because it quite rightly focuses the audience's attention on a brilliant feature of Barclays' online banking app.
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Apple iPhone
"Growth Spurt" |
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60s
9 Oct 2018 |
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Size does matter, according to this entertaining ad for Apple. The brand draw attention to their XS and XS Max phones by claiming that bigger is invariably better, as the device seems to magically engorge whatever its camera is pointed at. From cute snaps of pets to hipster shots of avocado toast, no Instagram-worthy moment is safe from the phone's fantastical powers of enlargement.
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Barbie
"Close the Dream Gap" |
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90s
10 Oct 2018 |
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Director Karen Cunningham's latest outing for Barbie doesn't even feature the eponymous fashion doll. Instead, a cast of young girls take centre stage… and they want a word with those out to stymie their full potential. Disarming yet incisive, the youngsters call out parents who believe there are only gifted sons, not daughters; who glance over scientific toys without a moment's thought; and who generally offer little encouragement to explore not what should be done, but what can be done.
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Berlei
"Serena Williams" |
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2 mins
9 Oct 2018 |
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Fresh from the controversy of the US Open Final, Serena Williams lends her voice to this touching tribute to Divinyls singer Chrissy Amphlett who died of breast cancer in 2013.
Subverting 'I Touch Myself' - Amphlett's band's most famous track - to remind women of the importance of self-examination could have been quite crass with the wrong treatment but this has been exceptionally well done.
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Snickers
"Number One Fantasy" |
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30s
8 Oct 2018 |
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David Shane once again demonstrates a fantastic mastery of the 30" commercial in this lovely film for Snickers running during the NFL ad breaks on US television. The performance is so good that you enjoy it even when you know the reveal. The key to this is the way the man muttering darkly about his number one fantasy gives no clue that this is a comic moment. Only when we see the faces of his friends do we realise the extent of the misunderstanding.
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Funding Circle
"Go Further" |
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60s
8 Oct 2018 |
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This is the longer version of the splendid new Funding Circle commercial that we reviewed in abbreviated form earlier this month. The longer edit gives much more breathing space to the idea and enables the ad to build to a real climax as the previously fixed figures gather together and take off just as it appears they'll come to a sticky end.
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Amazon Prime
"Vikings" |
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60s
8 Oct 2018 |
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This impressive ad sees woman finds herself inspired by the female protagonist of the hit show 'Vikings' to stand up for herself. Manspreading on the bus, office rudeness, and disrespecting personal space take on different meanings when faced with a shield-maiden's fire, and the transformation from timid to brave is skilfully handled by director Steve Rogers.
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Nike
"Late Bloomer" |
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30s
8 Oct 2018 |
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Whether you're eighteen or eighty-one-years old, haters gonna hate. Octogenarian Marjorie knows this all too well, as Nike's latest brand ambassador prepares for her belated marathon debut. Some call her crazy; she simply takes her place at the starting line… and pretends her hearing is a bit dodgy.
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Amazon Prime
"Jack Ryan" |
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60s
8 Oct 2018 |
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One of two amusing takes on the Amazon Prime Video library, this 60" commercial sees a dad transform into a suburban Jack Ryan. With each episode of the Tom Clancy reboot he consumes, the bloke becomes a lean, mean parenting machine, tackling domestic vagaries with the zeal of a certain CIA analyst.
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Teeling Whiskey
"The Spirit of Dublin" |
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1 min 40s
8 Oct 2018 |
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Dublin-based whiskey brand Teeling promise to do the Irish capital justice in this nicely polished ad. From dawn shots looking across the River Liffey to the minute details of day-to-day life, director Ross Killeen takes a cinematic look at what gives Dublin its distinctive character. The film explores the city in all its diversity, from traditional butcher shops to modern hipster cafés.
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GHD
"Long Live the Queens" |
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30s
5 Oct 2018 |
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Even those of us with tresses too short to warrant any styling beyond a rough towel-dry secretly covet GHD products. And having watched this latest offering from the king of electrical hair tamers, the flame of longing is ignited all over again. To an operatic crescendo, a diversity of divas accept the worship of friends, colleagues and strangers who are in awe of their luscious locks... and rightly so.
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Volvo
"The Unseen Ocean" |
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5 mins 30s
4 Oct 2018 |
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Volvo wade into the war on marine pollution with this latest Sky Atlantic collaboration, which focuses on a school teacher's bid to turn his class into thalassophiles. First things first, however: he needs to convince those who have never even seen the ocean before. With some children more familiar with ‘Minecraft' lakes than they are natural ones, it would appear the educator has his work cut out.
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Global Goals
"The Future Is Now" |
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5 mins 05s
2 Oct 2018 |
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The opening vignette of this superb film supporting Bill and Melinda Gates's worthy Global Goals foundation features a scene that will be familiar to many viewers - a wilful daughter arguing with her angry father. But their disagreement isn't about an untidy bedroom or incomplete homework, she is defying his demand that enter into a marriage she doesn't want.
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Five Star Work
(1-25 of 25) |
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