July has seen some great campaigns and content launch - some inspired by the hot weather, others by working together and one by pyjamas.

GUINNESS – RISE 

Normally associated with dark, wintry campaigns, Rise, the latest ad for Guinness, sees the brand take an unexpected turn towards summer in a remote fishing village and surf beach in the sunny Philippines.
This advert was created for the Singapore market, which no doubt explains the sea change. As the Guinness Singapore Marketing Director, Venus Teoh, explains, one of Guinness’ core brand values is to celebrate “people who have the courage to carve out their own paths and are making a positive impact on the communities around them.” In this ad that person is Luke Landrigan, the Australian-Filipino surf champion who gave back to his local community by turning a small fishing village into a global surf destination and teaching kids with disabilities the therapeutic benefits of surfing.

APPLE – EARTH (SHOT ON IPHONE)

Following along the same vein as the iPhone’s billboard campaigns, this advert features a compilation of stunning scenic shots filmed entirely on iPhones by everyday users. A stirring narration by the late astronomer Carl Sagan accompanies the montage, taken from his book, Pale Blue Dot — A Vision of the Human Future in Space, encouraging us to take care of our beautiful home.

CO-OP – GREAT THINGS HAPPEN WHEN WE WORK TOGETHEr

The Co-op teamed up with BAFTA award winning director Shane Meadows and spoken-word artist George the Poet in this gently paced two-minute advert. Featuring slow-motion scenes in local communities across the UK, the advert promotes The Co-op’s Membership rewards programme, in which members earn back 5% in Co-op branded goods and services and an additional 1% for local causes. The advert was launched as the Co-op shared out its first round of pay-outs since the members’ reward programme launch in September last year: £9m to 4,000 local projects, a clear enforcement of one of the brand’s core values of finding strength in communities.

SUPERDRY – THE NIGHT IS YOUNG

Superdry made a bold move by veering away from the usual summer campaign shots of beaches, sunsets, and pastel colour palettes, and instead decided to focus on where the summer adventure really begins for their millennial target audience – the night.
Led by the driving beats of two-piece London band the Gravel Tones’ heavy blues rock song, Bang Bang, the cutting switches between urban landscapes and beach scenes in heavily stylised shots, some crisply lit and others that look self-shot, employing filters similar in look to those commonly used on Instagram. Clocking up close to 4 million views on YouTube alone, straying from the norm seems to have worked in cementing Superdry’s reputation as a cool, youth-oriented streetwear brand.

#PYJAMAMAMAS | NEW CROSSLAND X | VAUXHALL

Vauxhall’s Pyjama Mamas don’t hide in shame in their cars when wearing their pyjamas on the morning school run – with defiant heads held high they get out and flaunt their pj’s with pride! Giving Vauxhall a contemporary voice in British culture, the advert manages to bring some swagger and style to a car not typically known for either, Vauxhall’s new SUV, the Crossland X, described in rhyming slang in the advert as a “sweet jam jar”.