Some of these folks look stunned, actually. Like: Popeyes opened in France? What happened to our magnifique national cuisine?

Kidding, of course. Soon, we’ll all visit Paris for Cajun wings. (And killer chocolate, too.)

Chance, an FCB agency, developed the work, and explains: “As soon as customers discover the size of the chicken pieces and taste them, the reaction is always the same: their eyes pop. This is where the name Popeyes comes into its own.”

Ale Burset shot the campaign, tagged, “It’s all in the name,” with eyes cleverly replacing the back half of the brand’s moniker throughout.

FCB New York and Michelob Ultra picked up three Grand Clios—in Integrated Campaign, Innovation and Branded Content—for their “McEnroe vs McEnroe” campaign, in which 2022 John McEnroe got to face off against five younger versions of himself, thanks to some remarkable tech.

Every move from the McEnroe avatars was synchronized with an intricate robotic-return system, allowing the tennis star to play his avatar selves for real. The campaign included a CRM callout, a VIP premiere with press and influencers, and calls-to-action across PR, digital trade, social, influencer, broadcast integrations and TVC encouraging consumers to tune into a one-hour special on ESPN linear and streaming (which the network provided for free).

With over 120 media placements, the sentiment was summed up by Sports Illustrated (“This could be the future of sports”) and Yahoo! (“Reinventing sports entertainment”). Since launch, organic searches for “Michelob Ultra” have grown by 95 percent. 

Michelob Ultra, ‘Michelob Guy’

Michelob Ultra picked up one more Grand Clio, in Social Media, for a Wieden+Kennedy campaign that amplified a pop-culture phenomenon—the viral photo of a guy holding a Michelob Ultra as Tiger Woods teed off at the PGA Championship, while everyone around him was capturing the moment with their smartphones. Within 48 hours, “Michelob Guy” appeared in a commercial, had his own merch line, and appeared on Michelob Ultra cans.

Corona, ‘Plastic Fishing Tournament’

Corona created the first-ever Plastic Fishing Tournament, a global initiative where fishermen from all over the world were rewarded to make the biggest catch of plastic waste in order to sell it to recycling companies. The more plastic they caught, the more money they made, and the cleaner the ocean became. The campaign won two Grand Clios—in Experiential and Social Good.

Corona, ‘Jersey Pay’

Fans attending sporting events in Mexico have to be careful with bringing valuables to the game; because of pickpockets, many leave their wallets and phones at home. This was depressing beer sales at stadiums, so Corona and VMLY&R Commerce invented a unique solution—embedding a digital payment system directly into fan jerseys, which could be scanned at the point of purchase.

Atlético de Madrid, ‘Stepfather’s Day’

Father’s Day is an important celebration in Spain—all brands congratulate fathers, but none had done so with stepfathers. Atlético de Madrid, one of the country’s top soccer clubs, did so with a charming tale that captivated the club’s followers and shared its ideals and philosophy.

Buffalo Wild Wings, ‘The Overtime Deal’

Every time a player sends a sports game into overtime, they not only create more time in the game, they create more great times at Buffalo Wild Wings—and more time to sell more wings and beer. During March Madness, BWW introduced “The Overtime Deal,” the first-ever NIL sponsorships exclusively for players who send a game into overtime. 

Adidas Football, ‘No More Red’

In 2021, London saw the highest number of teenage murders on record. To tackle the problem, Iris created No More Red, an initiative that saw Adidas support the long-standing work being done by Arsenal to keep young people safe from knife crime and youth violence.

The campaign kicked off with a bold statement—removing the iconic red from the Arsenal home kit, creating an all-white uniform symbolic of an ambition to eradicate bloodshed among London’s youth. Adidas and Arsenal teamed up with lifelong Arsenal fan Idris Elba and Arsenal legend Ian Wright to launch the kit, which was worn in game by Arsenal live on national TV during the FA Cup.

Decathlon Canada, ‘Ability Signs’

Since its creation in 1968, the International Symbol of Access has served as a single icon to represent all people with disabilities. Decathlon, a sporting goods manufacturer, reimagined this common wheelchair signage in Canada to show that sports are for everyone. Using Decathlon’s existing signage system and iconic blue brand color, agency Rethink developed 25 custom symbols representing a variety of wheelchair and non-wheelchair based para-sports. Adding sport items and accessories to a universally known icon told a completely different story—one that shows what people with disabilities can do, not their limitations. 

In a short film breaking across Canada this week, folks with Down syndrome destroy their résumés in melodramatic fashion, using fire, chainsaws and even a woodchipper, with shredded pages flying into the night like confetti. One industrious gal dunks her CV in liquid nitrogen, then shatters the frozen sheets with a baseball bat.

The cast offers this explanation: “There are 1 million open jobs in Canada. That’s a lot of jobs. Yet over 50 percent of people with Down syndrome can’t get a paying job … My résumé is overlooked, underrepresented. It’s not worth the paper it’s printed on.”

Moving forward, the Canadian Down Syndrome Society posits possible solution: Inployable, an online initiative launched with LinkedIn, designed to help people with Down syndrome connect with work opportunities.

“With the worsening labor shortage, this was the perfect opportunity to focus on employment,” says Andrew MacPhee, the ECD at FCB who guided the campaign. “Businesses have yet to uncover the enormous benefits of hiring people with Down syndrome. As research shows, they can contribute to higher revenues, higher margins, boosted company morale—among many other organizational benefits.”

Here’s Inployable’s welcome video:

“LinkedIn has been fully committed to the idea since our initial meeting,” MacPhee says. “We are already working to add increased functionality to the platform that will benefit the Down syndrome community and make this an evolving, long-term resource.”

The effort targets multiple audiences, with the CDSS initially hoping to build a strong network of candidates. Ultimately, FCB will tailor messages to small-business owners, HR pros and recruiters, particularly at industries hit hardest by the labor shortage, such as manufacturing, restaurants and hospitality.”

To some extent, the push resembles last year’s call for workplace inclusivity from Italian nonprofit CoorDown and creative agency Small, which generated considerable attention thanks to the inclusion of an original song by Sting. While less flashy, Inployable incorporates multiple calls to action, as the CDSS seeks “immediate” tangible results in the marketplace, MacPhee, says.

Through the years, the agency-client team have created many notable campaigns, starting in 2016, when ads with Down folks fielding oft-Googled queries about their condition earned global acclaim. More recently, FCB and the CDSS explored the link between fitness and cognition and strived to make voice assistants more functional for those with special needs. In March, marking World Down Syndrome Day, the CDSS and photographer Hilary Gauld told powerful stories of romance, friendship, gender identity and sexuality.

CREDITS

Campaign Title: Inployable
URL: inployable.com 

Client: Canadian Down Syndrome Society
Chair: Ed Casagrande
Executive Director: Laura LaChance
Marketing & Communications Manager: Courtney Cassel, Kristen Halpen
Senior Manager Fund Development & Donor Management: Pamela Massaro
Board Member: Ben Tarr 

LinkedIn
Canada Country Manager: Diana Luu 
Head of Marketing: Jonathan Li
Agency Development Lead: Sean McConnell 

Creative Agency: FCB Canada
Chief Creative Officer: Nancy Crimi-Lamanna
Executive Creative Director: Andrew MacPhee
Associate Creative Director: Sara Radovanovich
Associate Creative Director: Sally Fung
Creative Director: Ryan Dzur
Creative Director: Sam Cote
Chief Strategy Officer: Shelley Brown
Strategist: Audrey Zink
Community Manager: Serena Luca
VP, Managing Director: Tim Welsh
Group Account Director: Blake Connolly
Account Executive: Sophie Seidelin
Executive Producer, Post-Production: Elise Beauvais
Colourist: Conor Fisher
Editor, Social: Tyler Strahl
Agency Producer: Dan Rankin
Project Manager: Hani Adam
Production Manager: Jennifer Cachola
Production Artist: Mark Parenteau
Production Artist: Joey Ng
Proofreaders: Melanie DaSilva Pinto, Zohrin Jivraj
Retouchers: Marcelle Faucher, Carly Bright
Quality Assurance: Kim Cheung-Quenneville 

PR: Shannon Stephaniuk, Glossy 

Production Company: Suneeva
Executive Producer: Geoff Cornish
Director: Jason Van Bruggen
Line Producer / PM: Joey Bilewicz
Director of Photography: Stuart Cameron 

Editing House: Married to Giants
Executive Producer: Amanda Henry
Editor: Liam Crawford 

Online / VFX: Wingman
Executive Producer: Emily Goldberg
VFX / Online Artist: Jonny Ames 

Colourist: Conor Fisher, 456 Studios 

Audio House: Grayson Music
Audio Producer: Sharon Yokoyama
Director: Mark Domitric
Engineer: Brian Bernard
Music Supervisor: Rich Hamilton 

Social Content Production
Director / DP: Julian Peter
Peter Sound: Marco Furgiuele 

Media: Initiative/Reprise
Ryan Van Dongen VP, Head of Communications Design
Tyler Dmytrow, Senior Director, Head of Social & Strategy Solutions – Reprise
Kate Stevenson, Account Manager – Reprise
Pascaline Forget, Communications Design Supervisor – Initiative
Christian Kern, Strategy Director – Initiative 

Spotify serenades Mastercard’s Rajamannar country-music style in the second serving of its “A Song for Every CMO” campaign.

The push from FCB New York and singer/composer Watt White bowed last year, presenting musical stories of execs who advertise on Spotify. Now, the same creative crew is at it again, dropping beats that put the recent activities of four high-profile marketers in perspective.

For example, Rajamannar’s ditty mentions Mastercard’s excursions into AR, AI, VR, NFTs, sonic branding and crypto, while proclaiming, “He showed us all that it was cool to use our True Name … He’s at the top of the game!”

Sure, it feels kind of forced with too many in-jokes and buzzwords. (They say “priceless” three times!) But that’s part of the fun, as Spotify thanks CMOs through work that serves as a B2B beacon for other prospects, demonstrating the reach and power of audio storytelling.

Also on the playlist: a jangly pop tune for Katie Williams of Haleon (which spun off in July from GSK), another country outing for Wendy’s Carl Loredo, and a spicy dance track for Cadillac’s Melissa Grady.

Click here to stream each number, plus a mash-up of all four.

“I aim for powerful hooks and strong rhythms, and I want the listener to feel something regardless of the subject matter,” says White. 

He notes that Spotify based each selection on the listening preferences of the subjects. (And who wouldn’t enjoy songs about themselves? ?).

“We got such glowing—and tickled—responses from the CMOs we showcased in round one, there was no doubt we’d do a second series of songs,” says Ann Piper, Spotify’s head of client partners, U.S. Verticals. “Our hope is that this leads to more creativity in digital audio, and of course some laughs along the way.”

CREDITS

Creative Agency – FCB NY
Michael Aimette – Co-Chief Creative Officer
Gabriel Schmitt – Co-Chief Creative Officer
Danilo Boer – Global Creative Partner
Todd Sussman – Chief Strategy Officer
James Friedman – Strategy Director
Gary Resch – Executive Creative Director
Alexandre Abrantes – Creative Director
James Meiser – Associate Creative Director
Justin Batten – Senior Art Director 
Ken Syme – Senior Copywriter
Adam Isidore – Director of Integrated Production
Chris Lenz – Executive Producer
Melissa Chester – Music Producer
Margot Meyerhoff – Senior Digital Producer
Tara Graff – SVP, Business Lead
Sean Kittredge – Account Supervisor
Breithner Monteiro – Editor & Animator
Music Production Company – Watt White Music
Watt White – Composer/Singer/Songwriter/Producer

Michelob Ultra cast John McEnroe as an ambassador of … joy? You cannot be serious!

During his tempestuous career, tennis legend McEnroe—given to racket-bashing outbursts and berating officials as he volleyed his way to seven Grand Slam titles—always seemed to be battling his inner demons along with opponents across the net.

Now, thanks to artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotic ball-return technology, Johnny Mac will play against avatars of himself at five key stages of his career in Ultra‘s “McEnroe vs. McEnroe.” ESPN2 and ESPN+ will broadcast the event on May 18 at 8 p.m.

This trailer offers a taste of the action:

The 45-minute special, developed with FCB New York and emceed by John’s brother Patrick (who enjoyed a notable pro career of his own), bears Ultra’s “It’s Only Worth It If You Enjoy It” banner. While John wasn’t especially joyful in his playing days, the notion that he’s grown as a human being and relishes his place in the pantheon of sports fits the brand narrative.

“Who wouldn’t want an opportunity to literally be able to look back at where you started and celebrate how much you’ve grown and learned along the way?” McEnroe says in a statement. “I’ve had highs and lows just like everybody else, and what I’ve learned over time is to appreciate the journey.”

Indeed, he’s rehabbed his image since retiring 30 years ago, insightfully calling matches for global TV networks, launching a voice-over career and appearing in commercials. But he’s courted controversy, too, taking heat for comments about reigning U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu and GOAT Serena Williams.

For Ultra, he’ll play against his younger selves from 1979, the year of his first Slam win; 1981, his first full year as world No. 1; 1982, when he struggled somewhat; 1984, his finest season; and 1992, when he retired ranked No. 20.

Note: These avatars look like classic Mac, but their athleticism, speed and style and of play are based on the current 63-year-old version of John, giving him a chance to win the matches.

Below, Ricardo Marques, Michelob’s VP of marketing for U.S. and global operations, takes us through the activation:

Muse: When fans tune in, what exactly will they see?

Ricardo Marques: They’re going to be treated to the world’s first-ever real vs. virtual tennis match. One side of the court will feature tennis legend John McEnroe, and on the other, a custom avatar designed to look and play like John during five major moments in his career. The team at Unit 9 processed hours and hours of McEnroe’s matches from 1979 to 1992 using artificial intelligence to machine-learn his play—how he served, the spin off his forehand shots, the style of his backhand, his drop shots and smashes. The computer then directed four Precision Motion robots, each armed with ball launchers embedded with that intelligence. During the matches, the avatar will respond in real time to John’s game play with ball robotics.

None of this is live, correct? It was all filmed earlier?

All five matches were previously filmed in April. As fans watch, they will witness the live action that was captured between John and the technology, but the made-for-television special will also include introspective interviews with John as he takes time to reflect on his professional career and personal journey. Fans will be treated to five exciting and competitive matches, while also having the opportunity to hear from John himself, his brother Patrick, former tennis pro James Blake and sports commentator Ashley Brewer.

Can you explain how this makes sense for the Ultra brand?

This match delivers a message everyone can relate to: Don’t forget to enjoy the journey. There is pressure every day in life to perform without missing a beat, and that is especially true in the world of sports. While very few people will know what it feels like to be ranked No. 1 in the world or to win Wimbledon, we can all relate to going through ups and downs and coming out better for it.

Why partner with Johnny Mac? Why him specifically?

Everybody who watched John throughout his career knows he was an extremely intense competitor. This first-of-its-kind event allows John to celebrate the major moments throughout his career, while reflecting on his personal journey as well. As he looks back, John delivers a message of joy and encourages those currently in younger shoes to enjoy the ride and have fun.

Can you talk a bit about the technical aspect?

The technology behind this is absolutely fascinating. The game system was developed in Unreal Engine to allow our avatars to respond in real-time to John’s gameplay and to integrate with ball robotics. In addition to analyzing hours of match footage, John participated in a full motion-capture session with a team of innovation architects, product designers and software engineers to create avatars that look and play like him. Using motion capture, Unit 9 was able to authentically translate his specific body gestures to avatars that could be controlled without pre-programmed moves.

CREDITS

Client – ABI, Michelob ULTRA
Benoit Garbe – Chief Marketing Officer  
Ricardo Marques – Vice President, Marketing 
Azania Andrews – Vice President, Connections 
Talita Andrade – ​​Head of Marketing Communications 
Miles Ritenour – Director of Digital Marketing & E-comm 
Dylan Ruby – Director Sports Marketing and Partnerships
Alexis Unwalla – Director of Digital Marketing
Kerry Scalora – Brand Director
Jessica Thorpe – Director, Marketing Communications 
Lindsay Marzocca  – Senior Media Manager
Bridget Inglima – Media Manager
Chris Jones – Global Head of Marketing
Paige Dawes – Global Marketing Director

FCB NEW YORK
Creative
Gabriel Schmitt – Co-Chief Creative Officer
Michael Aimette – Co-Chief Creative Officer
Danilo Boer – Worldwide Creative Partner
Samira Ansari – Executive Creative Director
Sy-Jenq Cheng – Executive Creative Director Art & Design
Alexandre Abrantes – Creative Director
Jay Marsen – Creative Director
Lex Beltrone – Creative Director
Thomas Mori – Associate Creative Director/ Design
Simon Dolsten – Associate Creative Director
James Meiser – Associate Creative Director 

Production
Adam Isidore – Director of Integrated Production
Pim Leeuwenkamp – Senior Integrated Producer
Marissa Lando  – Senior Integrated Producer
Janice Katz – Director of Business Affairs
Lizzy McGlynn – Archival Producer
Janet Merone – Senior Production Talent Manager
Mary Beth Parton – Traffic Manager, FCB Global

456 Studios/Lord + Thomas
Adam Nelson – Senior Content Creator 
Breithner Monteiro – Senior Editor and Animator
Chris Monteiro – Editor & Animator
Mitch Schreiber – Senior Editor
Liz Ludden – Studio Director
Doria Lacey – Integrated Producer

Account
Megan Bundy – SVP, Group Account Director
Diana Gonzalez Cash – SVP, Group Account Director
Ashley Read – Account Director
Logan Butler – Account Supervisor 
Joe Labuz – Account Supervisor 
Abby Kiefer – Senior Project Manager
  
Strategy
Jamie Rutherford – Strategy Director
Michael Schonfeld – Sr Strategist 

3 PM/PR
Peter Martin – Senior Vice President
Jackie Baez – Director 
Lemondria Hobbs – Senior Manager
Jake Spitz – Senior Associate 

Unit 9
Michelle Craig – Creative Partner
Mindy Lubert – Director of Production
Sarah Barson – Production Lead
Yifei Chai – Executive Creative Director
James Medcraft – Creative Director: 
Phil Erney – Executive Producer: 

Falkon
Ryan Bucci: Creative Director + Co–Director
Davey Sherwinter: Technical Director + Co-Director
Matt Cohen: Executive Producer
Bernard Hunt: Director of Photography
Matias Letelier –  HOP & EP of Live-Action
Nikil Shyam Sunder: Production Manager
Kevin Murphy: 1st Assistant Director
Sean Smith: EOC of Live Switching
Shannon Peiper – Post Production Supervisor

Secret Guy
Bill Cramer/Secret Guy – Online Editor
Graham Holly – VFX Executive Producer
Colin Stackpole – VFX/Flame Artist
Matt Rosenblum – Colorist

JSM Music
Joel Simon – CEO/CCO
Jeff Fiorello – VP/Executive Producer
Norm Felker – Senior Producer
Andrew Manning – Senior Producer
Sharon Cha – Producer

Sonic Union
Julienne Guffain – Sound Designer/Mix Engineer
Patrick Sullivan – Head of Production 

Notan Studio: Animation

Bank of Montreal and FCB Canada’s long-standing commitment to helping women business owners comes wrapped in decorative holiday packaging this year.

The team designed wrapping paper that doubles as ad space, with QR codes that unlock a Pinterest board filled with hundreds of shoppable gifts from Canadian SMBs.

“The pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on Canada’s women-owned businesses, which will take longer to recover financially than businesses owned by men,” says Jennifer Carli, head of global brand and social at BMO.

More than one-third of such establishments are expected to report revenue declines of 30 percent or more, per BMO. To help lighten the load, this initiative, dubbed “Wrap the Good,” seeks to “empower women-owned businesses that are such a vital part of the fabric of our communities, particularly at a time when they’re in need of support.”

Businesses from the bank’s grant program appear in the Pinterest guide, and they’ll receive the wrapping paper to distribute in stores and through their networks. BMO branches will hype the guide—via exterior wraps, of course!—and on its social feeds.

“More than ever, it matters where our gifts come from,” says FCB executive creative director Jeremiah McNama. ” ‘Wrap the Good’ reminds us all of the greater impact our gifts can make.”

So far, featured businesses include:

SIMKHA Biocosmétiques
Blume
Sitti Social
Strathcona Stockings
Pink House
Moyaa Shea Products
Encircled Inc.
Skwálwen Botanicals
BocoBoco
Massy Books
Sam and Lance
Mme L’Ovary
QBeauté Beauty Marketplace
Mayana Geneviere
Remix Snacks
Sankara Cuisine
Revol Undies
MBM HOME + LIFE
The Villij
Epicerie LOCO
Chef Pam Fan/Joy
Treeline Collective
Clean Beauty School

CREDITS

Client: BMO
VP North American Brand & Social Media: Jennifer Carli
Director, Brand Advertising: Shelley Johnsen
Senior Marketing Manager, Brand Advertising: Kaleigh MacMaster
Coordinator, Brand Advertising, Yosola Oke

Creative Agency: FCB Canada
Chief Creative Officer: Nancy Crimi-Lamanna
Executive Creative Director: Andrew MacPhee & Jeremiah McNama
Copywriter: Caleb McMullen
Art Director: Hussein Rumaithi
Broadcast Producer: Jana Desjardins
Broadcast Producer: Anisah Dass
VP, Group Account Director: Erin Howes
Account Director: Ali Gayowski
Account Executive: Sidney Crawford
Strategy Director: Stephanie Gyles

Production Company: Rodeo Production
Senior Producer: Coey Kerr
Associate Producer: Johannes Bottge
Photographer: Brandon Titaro
Prop Stylist: Jeanie Lee
Health & Safety Officer: Erixon Bernardo

Post Production House: Fuel
Integrated Production Lead: Travis Metcalfe
Retoucher: Nabil Elsaadi
Production Artist: Jesse Reid-Smith

Jay Marsen is creative director at FCB New York, where he works on Michelob Ultra, focusing on their flagship beer as well as their organic beer, Michelob Ultra Pure Gold, and hard seltzer, Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer.

Jay’s experience includes full-time and freelance stints at other New York agencies such as McCann, Grey, Pereira O’Dell and DeVito/Verdi. He has worked on DirecTV, Verizon Fios and Fox Sports 1, among other accounts. Jay graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2007 and now teaches advertising there as he slowly earns back his college tuition.

We spoke to Jay for our Time-Out series, where we chat with folks in the sports world about their favorite athletes, teams, sports movies and shows, and their love of sports generally.

Jay, tell us…

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

Grew up in the northeast suburbs of New Jersey in a town called Teaneck. Just a stone’s throw away from Yankee Stadium (or, an Aaron Judge throw home). Currently live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Not far from where the Nets play, but I’m a diehard Knicks fan, so let’s just say a 34-minute Citi Bike ride to Madison Square Garden.

Your earliest sports memory.

When I was a kid, before I even became a sports fan, I was in Little League baseball. I was barely interested in playing, so I was mostly just goofing around all of the time. My best friend took it a little more seriously and was a perennial fixture on the all-star team. He was also a really good pitcher who could strike out anyone. Everyone except me. Because every time I stepped up to the plate, I’d make silly, stupid faces at him. He was always laughing so much, he couldn’t throw strikes.

Your favorite sports teams.

Typical kid from North Jersey sports fan—Yankees, Knicks, Giants. What I love most about them is their illustrious history, their inherent New York City toughness, and the fact that they’ve spared me from a lifetime of pain and personal anguish in supporting other area teams like the Mets and the Jets. Although the last 20 years of being a Knicks fan haven’t been great for my mental well-being.

Your favorite athletes.

If I base it on the jerseys I have in my closet, it’s Patrick Ewing and John Starks from the ’90s Knicks and Bernie Williams from the ’90s Yankees. While I don’t own a jersey, I definitely gotta throw Eli Manning some love for thwarting Tom Brady and the Patriots’ perfect season bid back in 2007 and denying Brady another ring in 2011. Also, I never got to see him as a player, but I’m a huge fan of Walt “Clyde” Frazier’s color commentary for Knicks games. As a word nerd, I’ve always enjoyed his “Clyde-isms” (e.g., “Shaking and baking,” “Bounding and astounding,” “Winning and grinning”), but I also love his affinity for obscure vocabulary. If I ever use the word “lilliputian” or “neophyte,” just blame Clyde for your trip to dictionary.com.

Your favorite sports show or podcast.

Does Squid Game count as a sport? Just kidding.

Your favorite sports movie and/or video game.

While the profanity-laden conniptions of Happy Gilmore will always hold a special place in my heart, I think I’ve gotta go with Space Jam as my favorite. It was tough to root for Jordan, since he was such a Knicks nemesis, but when you pair up the best basketball player on the planet with Looney Tunes—and Bill Murray—to fight aliens in a basketball game, it’s a slam dunk in my cinematic universe.

As for video games, it’s gotta be NBA Jam. It was the only game in the arcade that could pry me away from my early adolescent bloodlust for Mortal Kombat. Plus, it had all the great announcer exclamations like “He’s on fire,” “Monster jam!” and the mother of them all, “Boomshakalaka!”

A recent project you’re proud of.

As a sports fan, I’m always excited when a brief comes along that has anything to do with sports. But sometimes the brief doesn’t come on Google Slides. It comes from life itself. When the NBA announced it would resume the pandemic-altered 2019-2020 season in a bubble, I was thrilled. I was a little less thrilled when I learned the Knicks weren’t invited because of their terrible record. But I was completely floored when I heard the biggest issue of all: No fans allowed.

My feelings were only reinforced when a reporter asked LeBron James about the idea of playing games without fans. He said, “Nah, it’s impossible. I ain’t playing.” Because the simple truth of the matter is, the fans need the players, and the players need the fans. One without the other, and you’re missing one of the most important elements of sports: joy. This fed into the whole brand philosophy of our Michelob Ultra client and their tagline, “It’s only worth it if you enjoy it.” So, when the sports world was faced with the prospect of games without fans, we thought, “What can we do to bring fans and players together safely and keep the joy flowing?”

And that’s where Michelob Ultra Courtside was born. Instead of having fans in physical attendance, fans were beamed in virtually on 17-foot video boards surrounding the court. It was a Herculean effort from an all-star team of incredibly talented and dedicated individuals, and I couldn’t be prouder of the work we did together. I even got to attend one of the games as a virtual fan. I made sure to wear my Knicks jersey, but I was also kind of ashamed that they weren’t invited to the bubble, so I wore a paper bag over my head.

Someone else’s project that you admired recently.

I already make sure to DVR all Yankees, Knicks and Giants games. But I double-checked to make sure everything was set for recording the Yankees game on Aug. 12, 2021. Because it was the MLB at Field of Dreams game. It’s been said you can’t hit a home run without swinging the bat. But I think it’s just as important to make sure you swing for the fences.

We pitch a lot of ideas that can sometimes seem a little too ambitious or audacious, but even if they don’t always reach the crowds, we keep swinging. And whoever held the bat for the Field of Dreams game, congratulations. This one was a no-doubter. As a concept, it’s borderline insane: Building a pop-up MLB stadium in the middle of a cornfield in rural Iowa for ONE regular season game. I can only imagine the look on the faces of whatever execs were involved when this idea was originally pitched.

But thematically, it was perfect. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen the Field of Dreams movie in its entirety, but I certainly remember the famous quote, “If you build it, he will come.” But they built it. And players, fans and the entire country came together as one to witness a baseball game unlike anything ever seen before.

And the execution was impeccable. Seeing Kevin Costner and the players emerge from the cornfield still gives me goosebumps. It was just like watching a movie. However, I’d like a rewrite on the ending. Watching Tim Anderson’s walk-off home run disappear into the cornfield wasn’t the Hollywood ending Yankees fans were hoping for.

What sports can do that nothing else can.

There was a campaign for Sports Illustrated from back in the day that has always stuck with me. It shows dramatic and beautiful photographs of various sports moments with small lines of type laid out over the scene.

One execution shows a pair of schlubby-looking guys sitting in the nosebleeds watching a football game. The copy is positioned over one of the guys and reads, “He knows the alma mater for all 72 players. He knows the exact day Kosar threw for 489 yards. He knows what Jamir Miller eats before a game. He thinks his wife’s birthday is sometime in May.” The tagline says, “You may not get it, but our 21 million readers do.”

And that’s a real human truth about sports. The fervent and fanatical passion those 25 million readers (and beyond) have for what is essentially people just running, jumping, throwing, catching, dribbling, shooting, swinging and sliding.

But there’s a special, ineffable element that plays out in sports which elicits our deepest emotions in their purest form. Emotions that manifest as joy, frustration, love, hate, exhilaration, devastation, obsession—and sometimes uncertainty when trying to recall your wife’s birthday.

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in the sports world.

I’ve always had a thing for doing voices. I once thought a shortcut to get close to the sports world would to be a public address announcer or a play-by-play guy. I would even sometimes mute the TV during Knicks games and do commentary as Marv Albert. But if the sports world option isn’t in orbit for this question, maybe I’d be doing voices for cartoons. If they end up doing another Space Jam movie, somebody hit me up. Voiceover reel available upon request.

Burger King | Stevenage Challenge

Burger King found an ingenious way of engaging gamers with the Stevenage Challenge, which saw the brand sponsor Stevenage, a team at the bottom of English football’s 4th division, in real life. This got the team’s BK-branded shirts into the FIFA 20 video game, where gamers were encouraged to outfit players like Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé and Neymar in the Stevenage kit and share the results—in exchange for rewards on the Burger King app.

Beats by Dre | You Love Me

“You Love Me,” which was widely celebrated across the industry and in culture in 2020, picked up its latest Grand at Clio Sports. (It won two Grand Clios at this year’s Clio Awards as well—in Film and in Branded Entertainment & Content.) The film unpacked the hypocrisy of brands and corporations profiting off of Black culture while continuing to fail at showing the same love for the human lives behind it.

Sports media was critical to the spot’s distribution. The film debuted during the NBA Draft and then focused on high-profile Thanksgiving Day NFL games, while digital media focused on generating as many views as possible on YouTube.

National Football League | NFL #ShowtimeCam

Much like Michelob Ultra Courtside, the NFL’s #ShowtimeCam also sought to translate the feeling and energy that fans experience at a real game to a virtual format. In partnership with Twitter Sports, the league created a new medium to help players celebrate the season’s biggest moments with their fans.

The #ShowtimeCam is an on-field LED screen with a two-way camera feed that allowed players and fans to interact and share the joy of football in real time—from end zone dancing to gestures of solidarity to fan tweets. The #ShowtimeCam was positioned in NFL stadium end zones and traveled weekly for 26 regular season, playoff and championship games, including Super Bowl LV.

Philadelphia 76ers | Spirit of Small Business

Given the impact of Covid on small businesses and the Philadelphia community, the 76ers launched a meaningful season-long campaign that brought the city’s spirit of togetherness and vibrant culture to life. Every game day, business owners promoted the team’s game day details and drive tune-in, and in turn, the team organically promoted their businesses, special offers, and drove more than 6 million fans their way.

House of Lapland | Salla 2032

Salla, the coldest city in Finland, launched a peculiar effort to host the 2032 Summer Olympics—following all of the required steps of real submission, including creating a bid film, logo, bid book, swag store, sports pictograms and a mascot. Only later, at a press conference, did the town reveal its true goal—to fight climate change and keep Salla cold, icy, and snowy.

To see all the 2020-21 Clio Sports Awards winners, visit Clios.com.

Spotify floats its advertising proposition past brands in “All Ears on You,” a bubbly campaign from FCB New York and director Amber Grace Johnson.

We watch Spotify listeners rise waaay above the chaotic daily grind. Sailing through the sky inside giant bubbles, they groove to playlists and immerse themselves in podcasts.

“Advertisers are struggling to break through to reach consumers who are constantly bombarded with messages and more distracted than ever before,” says Spotify head of advertising business marketing Khurrum Malik. ” ‘All Ears on You’ highlights how Spotify is able to cut through the clutter better than any other advertising platform thanks to an immersed and engaged audience deep in the listening experience.”

So, the target audience rides in a pleasant bubble of sound, presumably relaxed, refreshed and highly receptive to brand messages.

Joy Crookes’ soulful (and suitably uplifting) “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now” helps drive the commercial, which was shot in Mexico City and smoothly syncs live action and effect.

“This film is a window into the life of someone truly present—a young woman who defies the gravity of today’s experience by way of music,” Johnson says in Spotify blog post. “Our main character is able to rise above the ambush of the digital zeitgeist, an at-times suffocating frenzy.”

She adds: “In this piece, we revel in a spirit so comfortable in herself that she makes you feel free enough to do the same. If anything, we want people to watch this and feel inspired to romanticize their lives, add a bit of spice—no matter how mundane—to something like a dizzying commute home from work. My goal is to sweep you off your feet with some Spotify.”

Johnson chose “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now” for the soundtrack because it “just hit differently. It has this Amy Whitehouse-meets-Bond feeling.”

Ultimately, the campaign invites marketers to “Reach the most immersed audience” on Spotify and arrives along with research that touts the streamer’s offerings as “more engaging than radio, TV and social media.”

You can sample other campaign elements below, including a cheeky audio spot.

The work dovetails nicely with Spotify’s “A Song for Every CMO” initiative from last month. Also devised with FCB, that effort featured tunes in various genres celebrating specific brand marketers who advertise on the platform, including execs at CVS, Indeed and Frito-Lay. (Spotify more than doubled its global ad revenue in the last quarter and seeks to maintain that momentum in its battle with Apple Music and YouTube.)

On the consumer side, the company launched a ’90s country music microsite last week and asked diverse stars to reinterpret classic tracks to boost its Gen-Z appeal.

CREDITS

Spotify

Khurrum Malik – Head of Advertising Business Marketing

Andrea Kim – Global Strategy Manager

Sarah Kiefer – Global Director Enterprise Marketing
Richard Frankel – Creative Director
Tammijean Triplett – Global Creative Lead

FCB NY
Michael Amiette – Co-Chief Creative Officer
Gabriel Schmitt – Co-Chief Creative Officer

Gary Resch – Executive Creative Director

Alexandre Abrantes – Creative Director

James Meiser – Associate Creative Director

Justin Batten – Senior Art Director
Ken Syme – Senior Copywriter
Chris Lenz – Executive Producer
Tara Graff – SVP Business Lead
Sean Kittredge – Account Supervisor

Object & Animal
Amber Grace Johnson – Director
James Cunningham – Executive Producer
Myriam Schroeter – Producer

Editorial
Lost Planet
Ben Rodriguez – Editor 
Krystn Wagenberg – Executive Producer
Casey Cayko – Sr. Producer
Rachel Butler – Sr Cutting Assistant 

VFX / Color / Finishing
The Mill
Blake Druery – VFX Supervisor / Sr. Lead 2D Artist 
Ajit Menon – VFX Supervisor / Sr Lead 3D Artist
Corey Brown – Creative Director 
Mandy Harris – Executive Producer
Catherine Fischer – Producer 
Michael Rossiter – Colorist 
Evan Bauer – Color Producer 

Sound Design/Mix
Wave Studios 
Chris Afzal – Senior Audio Engineer/ Sound Designer
Vicky Ferraro – Executive Producer 
Eleni Giannopoulos – Producer 

Music
Feet Don’t Fail Me Now – Artist Joy Crookes