Newsletter
Saudi Tourism Gets Weird, While British Airways Seeks Tranquility
Our weekly roundup of Europe's best work
BETC Paris channels Dune for Visit Saudi’s “This Land Is Calling.” It is dramatic, beautiful and weird. The flash from desert to sea is particularly breathtaking. We want one of those bracelets. The choice to portray a woman, traveling alone, is meant to underscore how quickly the country is changing.
Uncommon promotes British Airways’ Club World cabin by emphasizing moments of uninterrupted calm. This is an outdoor campaign, so imagine it appearing in loud and sweaty places, like the Underground or Trafalgar Square. It just feels a bit awkward that instead of actually vibing “uninterrupted calm,” it’s rocking “keep the harried masses out.” Is this the time for a message like that? I guess it is for some.
Rest comes at a premium these days. This is especially the case in Singapore, one of the most sleep-deprived countries. The Secret Little Agency, a Singaporean outpost of Mother London, worked with Ikea to transform its iconic blue Frakta bag into a symbol of relaxation. Get a load of Resten, a bag that’s pretty much also a pillow. The straps are helpfully labeled “Leave the REST to Ikea,” in case you need hints on how to use it.
Here’s an idea: AlmapBBDO is turning out-of-office emails into ads, inviting people to “reduce envy” in their OOOs by offering recipients 20 percent off their next Novotel stay. Visit www.bestoooemail.com to prep an OOO that saves others money while you’re off lounging.
After all this psychic voyaging, we’ll wrap with something closer to home. Created by TBWA\MCR for limbless veteran charity Blesma, “Not Heroic, Human” features ex-Royal Marine Mark Ormrod MBE, fielding a helicopter pee from his infant. The campaign is designed to encourage people to make estate donations to Blesma, whose vets receive no government financial support. It also takes shots at the tendency to label these people “heroes,” a distant and abstract concept, to focus instead on their humanity. Gotta say, we never thought we’d be bonding with an Invictus Games winner, and the U.K.’s first triple-amputee to survive the Afghanistan conflict, over diaper duty.
Angela Natividad is the European markets editor at Muse by Clio. She also writes about gaming and fashion, and whatever else she’s interested in, really. She’s based in Paris and North Italy, so if you’re local, say hi. She might eat all your food.
