Lidl, 'Licence to Refill'
We love a bit of newsjacking, so hats off to Lidl for gatecrashing conversations about the new James Bond film in a way that emphasises its value price positioning. To mark the return of Bond to cinemas last week with the long-awaited release of Die Another Day, Lidl has revealed the true cost of Bond’s bar bill and calculated how much 007 could have saved by drinking homemade martinis instead. According to the discount supermarket chain, over the course of his on-screen lifetime, 007 has indulged in 28 martinis at a cost of £504. He could have saved £447.16 across the series by switching to Lidl ingredients, the retailer said, including Ignis French Grain Vodka. Daniel Craig lookalike Steve Wright was brought in to promote the campaign (Lidl is not affiliated with the James Bond movie franchise).
Airbnb, 'Bearbnb'
It's a format used by Airbnb in the past - letting people sleep in Vincent Van Gogh's 'bedroom' in Chicago, for example - but what's not to like about this iteration, features the world's greatest fictional bear (apologies to Paddington and Yogi)? Airbnb, in collaboration with Disney, offered fans a chance to stay in a life-sized Winnie the Pooh house in Ashdown Forest, Sussex – the area that inspired AA Milne's Hundred Acre Wood. Curated by Winnie the Pooh illustrator Kim Raymond, the 'Bearbnb' listing was open to rent for two days in September. Agencies working on the activation include Hope&Glory (for Airbnb) and The Academy (for Disney), while Toy & Robin worked on the build.
Lloyds Bank, 'Making A Statement' exhibition
Lloyds Bank partnered with artist and ethnographer Paula Zuccotti to visualise people’s monthly bank statements as works of art. The aim is to encourage people to think differently about their financial behaviour and have a better relationship with money. The exhibition featured wall-sized displays of people’s monthly spend, bringing to life exactly where their money has gone and revealed some of their less conscious spending decisions. The exhibition – which ran from 9 to 11 September in London's Soho – includes an interactive space for visitors to create their own statement artwork to inspire conversations about their own spending. It's an original method to make an important issue resonate with the public. The campaign is by Grayling.
'Webhallen Orchestra'
Gamers created classical music in what has been billed as the world's first computer game orchestra, in a campaign for Swedish gaming and tech retailer Webhallen. A computer game was created where every action from each individual player creates a tone or sequence in a melody. The piece was performed at the Oscar Theatre in Stockholm, where the participating gamers formed an orchestra under the direction of the composer of the piece, Max Kiusalaas. It was performed on PlayStation 5, Xbox X, PC, laptops, RetroFlag NESPi 4 and Nintendo Switch, and together, the 23 participants created a one-minute piece of music. As well as being impressive from a logistical perspective, the campaign, by The&Partnership Nordics, shows a great use of two art forms to create a stunning effect.
Gymbox, ‘Sunday Roast’
Talking of bringing two art forms together (OK, workouts are not technically an art form), we doff our sweatbands to Gymbox, which partnered 99 Comedy Club to host Sunday Roast comedy gym classes every Sunday in September at the gym chain's Covent Garden branch. Gym-goers were roasted both verbally and physically for 45-minute sessions. Attendees were given foil bodysuits to make the 'roast' more intense. Research suggests laughter not only increases the heart rate and calorie expenditure by up to 20 per cent, but 15 minutes of laughter alone can burn up to 40 calories. The campaign is by comms consultancy Cut The Bull.
