We get dystopia-light with a pinch of camp. That’s a compelling approach, similar to Tangerine Bank’s “Jumping Through Hoops,” but much less nightmarish. (Artjail worked on that one, too. Thanks, Big Brothers!)

“We created a campaign that lets patients know we have a better solution for them with personalized, coordinated care,” says Ellen Donahue-Dalton, CMO of VillageMD. 

Bright endings promise that Village Medical physicians lead dedicated care teams for patients. “You get their time. You get their attention. You get the help you need,” the ad says.

That’s succinctly stated, but “The New Way to Well” feels too generic as a tag, like something from an automated ad factory. To be fair, it’s tough to encapsulate big concepts. (We sure won’t any prizes for this post’s headline!)

Overall, this is superior work that memorably states its case. It doesn’t oversell or get bogged down in minutiae or jargon.

Plus, those airborne MDs are a sick metaphor. In the good way.

“We knew we had an opportunity to stand out visually,” agency CD Jeff Kopay tells Muse. “The factory was a way for us to portray the entire healthcare system as a complex assembly line where patients aren’t getting the time and attention they deserve. We referenced the movie Brazil quite a bit early on—a place where forms and procedures become more important than people.”

The name’s “Kopay.” And he works on a healthcare account. Moving right along…

Bringing the creative vision to life took extra effort—and some physical risks were involved.

“Anytime you’re suspending your cast from harnesses 40 feet off the ground using mechanical pulleys, it can get a little hairy,” Kopay says. “But we had an amazing team that pulled it off,” combing CGI and IRL effects. 

“(Artjail) created this massive, complicated system of overhead tracks that conveyed providers from room to room,” he recalls. “And Division, the production company, built these tremendous sets from scratch, letting us shoot as much as we could practically. It definitely was not an easy feat, and I was super excited to see how it turned out. Sometimes you just have to trust the process.”

It’s all intended to reach an audience that “relies heavily on different healthcare providers and needs to see them quite frequently,” he says. “They’ve all experienced a system that rewards efficiency over humanity. Doctors being whisked away from their patients before they’ve had a chance for any meaningful interaction really resonated with them. We wanted to make sure the consumer understood Village Medical provides a deeper doctor-patient relationship, built entirely around the patient’s needs.”

When I was 11, One Direction began to take over the world. Everything about them was appealing to me; they were five clean-cut boys from England and Ireland who sang catchy songs and had fun personalities. My friend introduced me to the One Direction Twitter world, which was full of young fans participating in nonstop discourse on all things One Direction. From ages 11 to 15, One Direction Twitter offered a space to express all of my thoughts pertaining to the band, build connections and stay updated on all One Direction related topics. Throughout One Direction’s career, I garnered a 5,000-person following, made a few friends and learned some new skills. 

One Direction Twitter functioned like an advertising agency. There were creatives who made their own original content, strategists who did in-depth research on the band, and account managers who communicated with the band. There seems to be a linear path between One Direction Twitter users and ad professionals. In fact, there is a trend on TikTok that asks former One Direction Twitter users how their current career in advertising is going. As a young professional in advertising, I have noticed a distinct connection between my days on One Direction Twitter and my career as a strategist. Spending an inordinate amount of time on One Direction Twitter taught me many skills that are pertinent to my advertising career today. Here are some of the things I learned from One Direction Twitter that prepared me for a career in advertising:

Creating and growing a brand

Having a personal One Direction fan Twitter account is similar to promoting a brand. You are invested in garnering the trust of your followers, gaining engagement and increasing awareness of your account to new followers. Through my One Direction fan Twitter account I learned effective methods to grow my unique brand and build a community of followers who were loyal to my account for their One Direction information and updates. 

Understanding the cultural zeitgeist

Knowledge of the cultural zeitgeist is crucial in the world of advertising. It is important to stay up to date with discourse on all topics and ideate around the current cultural conversations. One Direction Twitter was a 24/7 community that was consistently updated with new information regarding not just One Direction, but cultural happenings. I learned how to research and stay up to date on popular topics in an effective and timely manner. 

Approaching online communities

Speaking to a variety of online communities and subcultures allows brands to connect with new audiences. One Direction Twitter was its own large online community with a variety of subcultures. For example, if you were a Harry Styles fan you had your own subsect of One Direction Twitter. I learned how to understand and approach the greater One Direction online community, as well as the various subcultures. This allows me to now analyze different online communities and brainstorm ways brands can relate to those communities. 

Conducting indepth research

A huge part of my job is doing indepth research pertaining to the projects I am assigned. One Direction Twitter was all about indepth research. There were fans who were able to find out the band’s blood types (yes, I am aware of how insane this is). While I never went that far, I learned how to use my tools to research information about the newest albums, the band’s childhoods, their personal lives and future touring plans. This information allowed me to produce content that kept users coming back and engaging with my account. I approach research for my accounts very similarly to how I approached my One Direction research: the more specific, the better.

The power of community

The One Direction fandom was a massive and worldwide community that held a lot of power from 2011-2015. One Direction was able to build such a loyal fanbase that they barely had to promote their albums and they would still reach No. 1 on the charts; that power was left in the hands of the fans. The One Direction fan community was a team of advertisers who used their platforms to market One Direction’s music, vote for awards and make One Direction an international powerhouse. In my career, I have learned that brands need to build loyal communities—similar to the One Direction Twitter community—that are willing to use their platforms to speak about that brand. As the advertising world progresses, advertisers need to comprehend that the power is in the hands of the communities they build.

Young creatives focus on improving their skills because they are only as hireable as their skills. When we are self-assessing our capabilities, do we consider personality to be within our skillset or is it just a nice-to-have? I am of the opinion that personality, whether introverted or extroverted, is one of the most important skills one can bring to the creative workforce. It’s what sells ideas, makes work less “worky,” and builds relationships. Yet, so often young creatives only hone the traditional skills taught in school. A copywriter will spend countless hours on a manifesto, and an aspiring art director will tweak .psds to the nth degree. While these are important crafts to master, I’d challenge young creatives to view personality as a stand-alone skillset, one to be practiced until it’s an asset in the creative toolbox. 

Personality is the best presenter.

In an industry rooted in communication, it’s a necessity to work on personality as a skill. This rings especially true when it comes to presenting ideas, whether to executive creatives or to clients. Our mouths keep moving, and if we’re monotone or dull, few will lend an ear and our great ideas won’t have a chance to be heard. When young creatives have accrued enough of a persona in others’ minds, they will look forward to our out-of-the-box or even wacky ideas. Subconsciously they’ll attach our presentations to us. If they like us, they’ll be slightly more biased to like our ideas. Personality is that skill that can bleed into all of our work and help us make the work we want in our portfolios. Don’t let your lack of effort to display your personality stop your killer work from getting produced.

Not an extrovert? Not a problem.

Don’t think that my instruction to show off your personality only targets those loud extroverts out there. No, showing your personality is for the introverts, too. Many introverts make great work and foster meaningful, effective relationships as well. What’s important is that one shows their personality, however that looks. We are people, not robots, and we are all programmed just a bit differently. Legend Bruce Lee instructs to “Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.” 

Working with spice makes everything nice. 

At the end of the day, we are all people who work together to make ads and sell products, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy our time together. When I think of the next 35 years of grinding on an advertising career, I suffer a minor heart attack; however, when I change the lens and bring relationships into that timeline, it seems doable. Personality makes work entertaining and collaborative. What would you rather do, grind to the end to get your commercial in the Super Bowl, or grind and chuckle to the end to get your commercial in the Super Bowl? Warm personality in the process reminds us we are all persons.

No one wants to mentor a dud.

Newcomers in the creative field are seeking mentorship, and in a virtual world that can seem impossible. How will someone want to invest in me if I’m just a name on the screen? And vice versa, how could this person in a 16×9 block even invest in my future? Personality is the first step to wanting to give and receive mentorship. Personality is that extra effort, because it’s not technically in the job description, and when we put it forward, others notice. It’s so easy to just do our jobs. Fortunately, it’s also easy to do our jobs and bring a little bit of energy and spunk. When your exerted personality is noticed—and it will get noticed—others will gladly invest in your future, which will have a more friendly angle than an assigned, formal mentorship. 

Curious how to shine in the virtual world? I gotchoo. 

Showing personality is a little challenging in the virtual world, but it can be done. I was recently told that I “bring so much color to the agency.” That’s coming from co-workers who have never met me IRL, and maybe don’t know my personal hygiene habits—don’t worry I showered today—but somehow that personality can seep through screens. There are a number of tactics to implement into those daily emails, Zoom calls or Slack messages. First, fire up the chat. Normally, there’d be chit-chat in the office hallway, where you can make connections and bond. In lieu of that, don’t be afraid to spark up a side convo to build connections. In addition, as cringy as they sound sometimes, attend “extra curricular” activities your agency offers. Whether it’s a game night or a coffee hangout, more likely than not you’ll leave feeling more connected to your team. Finally, just as you would for an in-person meeting, prepare yourself in advance, so you can bring energy to the call. Whether that’s having a snack, or stretching beforehand, coming with the right mindset will show through the screen. 

Bringing personality to a workplace, even if virtual, is valuable and noticed. If you still don’t consider your personality to be an asset, I ask you to reconsider and try some of these tips. Splashing a dash of personality into all your work brings worthwhile results. My personal hero Jim Carrey, who is well known for his personality, once said, “The effect [we] have on others is the most valuable currency there is.” So, don’t sleep on your personality. Put it at the forefront of all your creative output to make the work more sellable, the grind less of a grind, and to turn those relationships into friendly mentorships we need to grow.