10 Creative Ads Made in Quarantine; BBDO Lays Off CCO Greg Hahn: Friday’s First Things First
Plus, learn about Adweek's new biweekly audio magazine focused on diversity and inclusion
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10 Ways Brands Are Getting Creative With Their Ads as Quarantine Stalls Production
After plans for the year went off the rails and social distancing has halted production, fast-tracked messaging and creative workarounds are the new normal for brands developing and shooting adverts. Plenty have risen to the challenge with impressive spots and engagement tactics targeted at homebound viewers seeking entertainment and ways to help front-line heroes and essential workers.
While brands like Nike, Apple and Burger King are leaning into social distancing activities, Domino’s is aiming to help people find jobs, and Toyota and Lego (via the British government) are embracing animation as an alternative to shoots.
Watch them all here: From ads made from recycled material and B-roll, to those created entirely on Zoom, we’ve rounded up the best from the lockdown so far.
- Related: The Ad Council has set up its first private marketplace, where publishers and ad-tech companies are donating inventory for coronavirus public service announcements.
What It’s Like Taking on a New Leadership Role in the Middle of a Pandemic
At a time when leadership is arguably more important than ever, recently installed executives are being asked to make decisions and provide guidance for people that they’ve barely gotten the chance to know—and even then, only via video chat. Plus, any goals they may have had when they signed on have gone out the window to make way for urgent matters amid the pandemic.
Agencies Feel the Impacts of COVID-19
Thursday was a tough day for staff at BBDO and DDB. BBDO has gone through a round of layoffs totaling around 10-13% of its staff across its U.S. offices, including BBDO New York CCO Greg Hahn and director of integrated production David Rolfe.
Hahn’s tenure at BBDO New York lasted 15 years, with the last seven as CCO. Under his leadership, the agency launched a number of memorable campaigns including breathing new life into Snickers’ “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” campaign. BBDO New York produce the famous Brady Bunch edition of that campaign as well as the iconic Sports Illustrated ad below.
After he was promoted from ecd to CCO of the flagship office in 2013, the network was named Adweek’s Global Agency of the Year in 2014 and U.S. Agency of the Year in 2015.
See it: Check out the best work from BBDO New York during Hahn’s tenure.
Related: DDB also implemented an unknown number of furloughs, salary reductions, structured retirements and other measures, including around 30 employees across all departments. The reductions were, unfortunately, followed by what some are saying was poorly worded internal messaging.
Why Supply-Chain Snags Might Make Hand Sanitizers Even Harder to Find
Thanks to the needs of medical staff and panic buying amid the pandemic, hand sanitizer continues to fly off shelves. But the shortage may worsen as the essential materials needed to make hand sanitizer—plastic bottles, alcohol, gel polymers and even towelettes used for antibacterial wipes—are increasingly hard to source or prohibitively expensive for manufacturers.
Adweek’s Robert Klara talked to several companies that produce sanitizers about the skyrocketing prices of these materials, including one brand that was already planning to sell sanitizer in aluminum containers to reduce plastic waste.
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