Jack Daniel's Raises a Glass to All Who Are Socializing While Apart

In a 60-second online spot, Jack Daniel’s shows diverse folks maintaining safe, nurturing connections—at a distance, of course—amid the coronavirus pandemic.

As the scenes unfold, Kenny Fleetwood and Whitley Little (a couple in real life) perform a cover of Cyndi Lauper’s 1986 hit “True Colors,” serenading each over video chat:

At the end, this message appears on screen: “Dear Humanity, cheers to making social distancing, social—With love, Jack.”

The ad marks Energy BBDO’s first work for the brand since it supplanted Arnold Worldwide as lead agency in November. For this project, the shop leveraged BBDO Flare Studios’ crowdsourcing capability to collect user-generated footage of people interacting at home via technology.

“We’ve all had to rapidly adapt to this new reality, and we discovered this magical thing where people are finding really creative and beautiful ways to stay connected during this time of social distancing,” says Energy BBDO co-creative chief Josh Gross.

Through the years, many movies, TV shows and commercials have featured “True Colors,” leaving the ballad a tad overexposed. Under normal circumstances, that might be a weakness. But in times of stress, a familiar song can provide comfort and continuity. For some, perhaps it even conjures visions of better days to come.

“This idea is a celebration of humanity at its best,” says Pedro Pérez, the agency’s other co-creative chief. “It’s a timely message of optimism and hope.”

Brand parent Brown-Forman recently pledged $1 million to fight COVID-19, while the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Tennessee began producing hand sanitizer for first responders.

CREDITS

Client: Jack Daniel’s
Title: “With Love, Jack”

Agency: Energy BBDO
Chief Creative Officers: Josh Gross & Pedro Pérez
Chairman: Tonise Paul
President & CEO: Jeff Adkins
Chief Innovation Officer: Alan Parker
Creative Director: Lucas Owens
Head of Integrated Production: John Pratt
Executive Producer: Jeff Davis
Executive Director of Music: Daniel Kuypers
Project Manager: Blue Smith
Client Service Director: Lianne Sinclair
Global Senior Account Director: Greg Morrison
Account Supervisor: Arika Jeter
Account Executive: Emma Flynn
Planning Director: Chase Donahue
Editorial Company: Flare Chicago
Editor: Casey Cobler
Sound Engineer: Steven Aguilar
Executive Post Producer: Jenny McDonald

Vocals/Song: “True Colors”
Vocals: Kenny Fleetwood, Whitley Little