In a Stellar Use of Animation, Absolut Imagines the Joy of Reuniting Post-Pandemic - Adweek

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2020 has been a year like no other, and around the world people have faced into a whole host of unprecedented challenges—not least the Covid-19 pandemic, which has claimed so many lives and kept so many separated from friends and family.

In its latest campaign by BBH Singapore, vodka brand Absolut dares to imagine the joy of reuniting with friends in real life again, when it is safe to do so.

Blending animation and live action, the spot was created as part of wider global campaign called “It’s In Our Spirit,” targeted at Gen Z and millennials. The film shows how, regardless of how popular you appear online, “nothing can replace real human connections.”

It tells the story of four characters—played by American actress Tessa Thompson, British musician MNEK, online gaming star Ricki Ortiz and Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai—who are masters of their own virtual worlds but are looking for something more meaningful outside.

The animation shows them break out from virtuality into reality in a bid for freedom and real life togetherness.

Tad Greenough, chief creative officer at The Absolut Company, said the campaign marked a “new chapter” for the brand.

“The desire and need to break free—to venture beyond the screen back into the real world, where real-life togetherness creates the ultimate and most intimate connectivity—is in all of us now, but especially in Gen Z.

“With its strikingly fresh and original visual look and the ‘It’s In Our Spirit’ theme, BBH Singapore’s work positions the Absolut brand as being truly at one with the times,” he said.

The film was created by animation duo and partners at Psyop, Todd and Kylie. Production house Stink and The Marketing Arm (TMA) were also instrumental in the campaign creation, BBH said.

CREDITS:
The Absolut Company VP Marketing: Charl Bassil
Chief Creative Officer: Tad Greenough
Head of Brand Creative: Sina Neubrandt
Marketing Manager: Filip Kiisk
Senior Brand Manager: Ylva Lundberg
Brand Managers: Maxime Henain, Oscar Danielsson, Hedda Helgesen
BBH Global Leadership: Joakim (jab) Borgstrom, Adam Arnold
Singapore Leadership: Sascha Kuntze, Sid Tuli
Creative Directors: Gaston Soto, Nikhil Panjwani
Creatives: Stephanie Gwee, Sid Lim, Avril Chua
Business Leadership: Lynette Chua, Grace Lee, Alicia Tiong, Paisley Wright, Fran Suffling, Marina Atanassova, Lauren Gillies
Strategy: Lilli English, Faraaz Marghoob, Aarohi Dhir
Production: Wendi Chong, Wendi Chong, Wendi Chong
Black Sheep Studio: Eddie Jackson, Sally Liu, Eva Loo, Sok Wah Leow, Lee Adamson, Christopher Leow, Pang Wei Fong, Tammy Quah
PSYOP Directors: Todd Mueller and Kylie Matulick
Producers: Justin Booth-Clibborn, Joe Maggiore, My Linh Truong, Noah Goldsmith, Andrea Panda, Michael Schlenker
Stink: Andrew Levene, Fran Thompson, Kelly Brown
The Marketing Arm: Mick Carter (Manchester), Sorcha Collister (London), Valerie Holmes (Chicago), Maggie Qu (Shanghai), David Wales (Dallas)
Photographers: GL Askew II, Conor McDonnell, Sean Marc Lee
Production Partners: Bauie Productions (LA), Butter Music + Sound (LA), Episode Films (Taipei), Fuse Adventures in Audio (Singapore), Illusion CGI Studio (Bangkok)