VERIZON FIOS | Good Neighbor (Fiber Fan)

THE BACKGROUND
Verizon Fios was one a pioneer in internet tech and while it worked to convert early adopters who intuitively wanted and needed faster internet, Fios reached a ceiling on growth. The biggest challenge was the networks physical footprint. Because it was only available in certain areas, the only consumers left to win weren’t early tech adopters. It was the opposite: casual internet users over the age of 40.

THE CHALLENGE
How do we get everyday internet users mostly browsing Facebook and watching Netflix to believe they need superfast 100% fiber-optic internet?

THE “A-HA”
These same adults — who don’t consider themselves “techies” — were buying tremendous amounts of tech, either for themselves or their families, without realizing each addition was a drain on poor Wi-Fi.

THE INSIGHT
Kids are always a step ahead on technology and able to translate “technology” to adults in ways that are convincing.

THE IDEA
Getting America’s most relatable kid to help adults relate to the need for better internet.

THE RESULTS
The best quarterly subscriber growth in 5+ years.

VERIZON FIOS | Wired Differently

THE BACKGROUND
Verizon wanted people to understand that there was a true difference between regular cable internet and 100% fiber-optic internet.

THE CHALLENGE
People didn’t believe the difference between fiber optics and cable was actually meaningful.

THE “A-HA”
There was a desire for a true challenger in the internet space. But not simply on the narrow measure of “speed” — for which satisfaction was fairly high across providers — but on the harder-to-measure differences such as customer service and brand philosophy.

THE INSIGHT
To be truly different, we needed to embody it in more ways than just “different wires.”

THE IDEA
Verizon Fios is “Wired Differently” in every conceivable way: from internet capacity to customer service.

MARCH FOR OUR LIVES | #GenerationLockdown

THE BACKGROUND
A year after their momentous march on Washington, March for Our Lives wanted to drive conversation about school shootings as the news cycle - and adults - largely moved on. In fact, urgency around the issue from adults had plummeted 40% a year after the march.

THE CHALLENGE
The political divide over guns made it increasingly difficult to broach the subject of school shootings.

THE “A-HA”
When the typical week-long news cycle moved on from school shootings, so did adults - especially given political stalemates. But kids couldn’t move on. They had to live with it everyday in the form of horrifying lockdown drills.

THE INSIGHT
Adults didn’t realize that the lessons meant to keep their children safe was traumatizing them.

THE IDEA
Demonstrate that everyday in America, lessons in survival were being taught to kids just as often as any other subject.

THE RESULTS
Generated millions in earned media coverage, 100+ million impressions in the first month, and a 396% increase in social conversation. All on $0 in earned media.

REACTION

“McCann’s ‘Generation Lockdown’ Wins Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Good” - AdWeek

Gold Clio Winner: Branded Content - Clio Awards

Silver Clio Winner: Public Relations - Clio Awards

Non-Profit Honorable Mention - Jay Chiat Awards

LYSOL | Teddy Repair

THE BACKGROUND
Lysol had launched their Laundry Sanitizer but there wasn’t a well-defined reason for people to use it. There was a real need to make a compelling argument for why it mattered to sanitize, rather than just clean, your clothes.

THE CHALLENGE
People generally “understood” how the product worked, but didn’t believe there was a compelling reason to use it.

THE “A-HA”
We needed to appeal to emotion more than logic, and when it comes to laundry, you put more care into how you clean the things you care about.

THE INSIGHT
Kids love their stuffed animals to pieces. Literally. In fact, 80% of them are covered in harmful bacteria.

THE IDEA
Create “Teddy Repair,” a program to help fix and disinfect kids’ tattered and germy stuffed animals… and teach adults about the benefits of Lysol Laundry Sanitizer in the process.

LYSOL | Missable Moments

THE BACKGROUND
Lysol benefitted from huge market penetration, but at times saw sales dip because of more infrequent usage. They needed a way to increase how often people used their products to drive repeat purchases.

THE CHALLENGE
People often underestimated how often they needed to use Lysol products.

THE “A-HA”
We needed to get people to see all the moments for protection that were often missed.

THE INSIGHT
There are millions of recognizable moments that happen every day where germs are spread, but it’s easy to overlook them. Moments that, when seen, make us say “OMG So F***ing True.”

THE IDEA
A repeatable construct for Lysol’s products that highlighted moments that both felt very true and very necessary for Lysol use.

ESSENTIA | Stop for Nothing

THE BACKGROUND
Essentia faced two challenges: unaided brand awareness and an emotional link for their products.

THE CHALLENGE
Find a narrative that could link Essentia as a product to the spokespeople Essentia had already contracted for reasons that were detached from brand positioning.

THE “A-HA”
The brand’s purpose was defined as “resilience” as an emotional reason you would need the “overachieving” hydration of Essentia’s ionized alkaline water. While that positioning was defined at a time when everyone needed resilience (COVID), there was also a different type of resilience found in both of their spokespeople, Patrick Mahomes and Millie Bobby Brown. Both had to be resilient in the face of people believing they should do things more “traditionally.” But both stuck to their own ways and became massively successful because of it.

THE INSIGHT
Your best life only comes with the resilience to never give up on your true self.

THE IDEA
Create a campaign around Essentia’s spokespeople that reinforced the idea of personal resilience: pushing against the pressure and betting on yourself.

STRATEGIC VALUE ADD
A proactive project I spearheaded was creating the brand’s first mnemonic to close all spots which could further link our brand’s name to the recognizable bottle. Before this year, most people either didn’t know the brand name even when exposed to an image of the bottle and/or mispronounced the brand name. A year after launch, unaided brand awareness rose by double digits.

U.S. ARMY | Army Strong

THE BACKGROUND
Prospects had limited understanding of what soldiers were, what they did, and how beneficial it could be to them long-term. A lot of this came from an assumption that soldiers are all the same and do the same things. So unless you wanted to simply pick up a gun and defend America, the Army wasn’t for you.

THE CHALLENGE
Redefine the way people view Army soldiers, so they could envision the fullness of service opportunities.

THE “A-HA”
The U.S. Army was one of the largest single employers in the country with the widest variety of roles and skillsets in one organization. We had to illuminate both the breadth of experience and skills gained from service.

THE INSIGHT
The uniform doesn’t symbolize uniformity. It symbolizes strength in every form.

THE IDEA
Show people the deeper meaning, experiences, and skills that are gained by becoming a U.S. Army soldier.

META | Team Amani

THE BACKGROUND
Meta was launching their rebrand and the idea of the “metaverse,” but understandably people were very hesitant about this future vision.

THE CHALLENGE
Excite people about the possibilities of the metaverse despite their pessimism of future tech and fictional depictions of VR/AR tech as dystopian.

THE “A-HA”
At its heart, the metaverse future was about connection. It was just an enhanced form of connection that was more intimate than what happened every day on Meta platforms. Importantly, there were already nascent examples of metaverse tech out in the world (just without the headset). For example, a real racing team called Team Amani that used virtual races to make a name for themselves in the pro cycling world.

THE INSIGHT
When you can be present with others, it can really open doors to new opportunities.

THE IDEA
Team Amani is the starting point for a better future through the metaverse.

META | A (Slightly) Life-Changing Story

THE BACKGROUND
Meta’s advertising business was being squeezed by new opt-out features for personalized ads. While it was understandable for people to want more privacy, Meta believed the data helped small businesses connect to people to whom their businesses were most relevant.

THE CHALLENGE
We had to create advertising about — well, advertising — that kept people open-minded about accepting personalized ads in their social feeds.

THE “A-HA”
No one likes ads. Personalized ads, however, were an essential tool for helping small businesses discover relevant consumers – and for people to discover relevant ideas that are just right for them. To encourage people not to opt out, we needed to show how important they are to small businesses, and how (slightly) life-changing they can be to consumers.

THE INSIGHT
When you find a small business that meets your needs, it can provide something so personally relevant that it personally improves your life.

THE IDEA
“A (Slightly) Life-Changing Story” is a tongue-in-cheek celebration of that moment when you find something that’s just perfect for you.

THE RESULTS
+200% positive sentiment towards personalized ads

NIKON | Nikon Product Launches

THE BACKGROUND
Nikon had signed Ashton Kutcher as its spokesperson for the brand and our advertising had to orient around him and his personality.

THE CHALLENGE
There was a need to be able to truly communicate unique product features that could highlight the “new news” for each product so that they didn’t all blend together as “just Nikon cameras” without doing the job of getting people to want very specific cameras that did specific things.

THE “A-HA”
As an entertainer, people were used to seeing Ashton in entertaining stories… on camera. And the stories and scenarios that could play out through a Nikon lens camera could tell people everything they need to know.

THE INSIGHT
When great pictures are as easy as using a Nikon, there’s no telling what’s possible.

THE IDEA - ASHTON CREATIVE
Different for each product launch.

• For our Zoom campaign, “Nothing’s ever out of reach with a Nikon”

• For our D3200 DSLR, we brough to life the idea that “With a Nikon D3200, you can do justice to life’s moments as effortless as you can share them.”

• For Nikon 1, we focused on communicating that “More than ever, you need a small (but powerful) Nikon to capture the bigness of life.”

THE IDEA - COOLPIX AW100
A slightly different campaign on a lower budget without Ashton. For this campaign, we recentered the target from younger GoPro customers (as Nikon desired) to a better fit for the brand and product: weekend warrior professionals who cared about higher quality images than possible on early GoPros.

We found that they heavily shared on social media, but often were disappointed with other waterproof “rugged” cameras on the market.

With that in mind, we build a campaign that spoke more directly to who they were and what they valued: “What you do in your free time reminds people that you’re more interesting than your job.”

OSCAR MAYER | A Side of Bacon

THE BACKGROUND
Oscar Mayer wanted to make a big splash during the holidays: a major season for bacon consumption as consumers made more things with the product (think “bacon-wrapped everything”). That said, we had limited budgets to make a heavy investment in the period and breakthrough.

THE CHALLENGE
Gain attention for Oscar Mayer bacon during the holiday season on a limited budget using largely a guerilla marketing media plan.

THE “A-HA”
The holidays were a time where everyone was shopping, but the purchases that were top-of-mind were far different than bacon.

THE INSIGHT
There is one universal truth about bacon: everything is better with a side of bacon. But during the busiest shopping season of the year, nothing you’re buying actually comes with a side of bacon.

THE IDEA
Bacon makes everything better. So why doesn’t everything come with a side of bacon? Good question. Now, it does. Anything people can purchase – from shoes to wireless plans – can come with a side of delicious bacon from Oscar Mayer this holiday season.

THE RESULTS
+20% Nationwide Sales increase (year-over-year)
+43% Sales increase in target markets (year-over-year)

OSCAR MAYER | “Still Smokin’” 12-Hour Bacon

THE BACKGROUND
Oscar Mayer’s bacon business was strong, but lagging in purchase frequency and consideration amongst the heaviest bacon consumers.

THE CHALLENGE
As arguably the largest meat brand in America, Oscar Mayer bacon was often seen as a generic “mainstream” bacon that wasn’t seen as “legitimate” for true bacon lovers.

THE “A-HA”
While Oscar Mayer bacon was seen as industry average, the truth was that Oscar Mayer bacon was smoked nearly 2x as long as industry standard (12 hours vs the industry standard of 4-6 hours).

THE INSIGHT
When you’re really serious about savoring smoked bacon, you need a brand that seriously smokes it.

THE IDEA
Oscar Mayer bacon is “Smoked Unexpectedly Long.” With bacon that’s smoked for an almost ridiculous 12 hours, it’s smoked so long you won’t believe how long it goes on to reach Oscar Mayer flavor.

To bring this to life, we made ads that didn’t end even after it looked like they did.

UNICEF | First Day Fears

THE BACKGROUND
UNICEF had a global theme for the year of this campaign that was around “Ending School Violence,” but school violence looks very different in different countries. For example, gun violence in the US vs corporeal violence in India vs bullying everywhere. We needed a campaign that could truly span the full globe and all of the various forms of school violence.

THE CHALLENGE
How do we create a powerful anti-school violence message that could resonate across different cultures with different school violence issues?

THE “A-HA”
Rather than focus so heavily on the individual forms of violence, we decided it was more powerful to key in on the universal sense of “fear” schoolchildren felt regardless of form.

THE INSIGHT
No matter where it is, you’d be terrified by what kids worry about at school.

THE IDEA
”First Day Fears.” While we’re all used to having “first day fears” from our schooldays, they are a lot scarier and serious when the fears are driven by school violence,

USPS | Priority: You

THE BACKGROUND
The US Postal Service was facing a huge perception challenge. People had come to view them as lazy government workers, partially due to the “professionalization” of shipping services from UPS to FedEx. There was an assumption that the USPS was both 1) behind the times and 2) not competent.

THE CHALLENGE
How do we shift perspectives of USPS to get people to believe in its competency and use it more often?

THE “A-HA”
While private competitors all had very fancy and impressive technology, nothing was as impressive as the way the US Postal Service literally delivered to every single home in America every single day. That is a massive undertaking that even UPS can’t do to the point that it offloads some of its deliveries to the USPS. But the USPS does it because it is NOT a for-profit organization but rather a public service.

THE INSIGHT
When you have to service every American, our only priority is people (not profits)

THE IDEA
”Priority: You” - A platform to shift perceptions from “a government agency that is inefficient and unreliable” to “State of the Art Shipping LITERALLY made for ALL.”

VELVEETA | La Dolce Velveeta

THE BACKGROUND
Velveeta was seen as an old, dusty, and outdated processed cheese brand. It was often seen as a bad indulgence that people often avoided.

THE CHALLENGE
Especially in a culture that had shifted toward natural and high quality cheeses, how do we get young people especially to desire Velveeta again?

THE “A-HA”
When we actually spoke to young fans of the brand, they have an DGAF (“don’t give a f***”) attitude about other people’s opinions that is centered on living a pleasure-first life rather than one regulated by what’s “correct” or “acceptable” — a lifestyle that’s heavily desired by young people.

THE INSIGHT
When you prioritize pleasure, you care about what you want more than others.

THE IDEA
”La Dolce Velveeta” — a platform all about celebrating a life of outrageous pleasure, all logic be damned. While I didn’t work on the launch of the campaign, I expanded that platform into the brand’s first big push into summer eating occasions.

Velveeta is a fairly seasonal brand, largely consumed in the winter but not the summer when light foods are desired. Our summer campaign (below) helped drive a 19% increase in household penetration year-over-year and 36% lift among heavy users.

VELVEETA | Velveeta Gold Hair

THE BACKGROUND
Velveeta significantly cut back its media budget and needed a big idea that could make up for the shortfall in media investment on a miniscule budget.

THE CHALLENGE
How do we get Velveeta top of mind with almost literally no money available to spend on getting our message in front of our young audience through traditional paid media?

THE “A-HA”
Our audience had a deep interest in passion, so we decided to create something that would spark their interest and reinforce our “La Dolce Velveeta” brand platform all about embracing an outrageously pleasure-first way of life.

THE INSIGHT
How we’re willing to style our hair says something deep and true about who we are.

THE IDEA
”Velveeta Gold” — a new hair color based on our unique “golden” hue that signals to the world that anyone who wears the hair live as richly as Velveeta tastes.

RESULTS
1.5 Billion impressions in less than a week
4300% ROI on media investment