8-BITS #WEARECREATIVE is a monthly inspiration session with our strategy, creative, editorial, design and future tech teams. Strategy starts off with platform updates then each team submits two pieces of socially and creatively brilliant work, equalling 8-BITS. We then debate new projects from around the world and question narratives, cultural point-of-views and how technologies work creatively or not. Here’s the best of the bits:
May was the month before Cannes, where we buy new yacht shoes and practice our finest Mad Men elevator speeches in preparation for all the ‘networking.’ But the search for brilliant social creative continued regardless of Rosé fountains or award nominations.
Platform news
May started off with a collection of updates from the Facebook developer conference. Before you yawn and wonder what’s hot about that, listen up. Facebook plans to introduce its own ‘dating app’ combining events you like with text-only messaging and just your first name so you can chat up people going to the things you already like. Mic drop. Literally. Tinder’s stock dropped 20% almost immediately. There were other important things too like Group Video Chat called a Watch Party, virtual AR Studio and Memory Palace, a virtual space to recreate or host videos and photos. Think virtual mixed-media scrapbooking. Very imaginative creative opportunities coming soon via Facebook.
Best socially-led campaigns Campaign: Cybersmile and Chessie King
What is it?
If you happen to be an internet star or follow a few, then you know how vicious cyber bullying can be. But what are we doing about it? To raise awareness about this problem, Cybersmile, an anti cyber-bullying non-profit, teamed up with Chessie King, a London-based body confidence influencer to run a little experiment. She posted a video talking about how proud she was of her body. Then, in the 24 hours that followed, they took the worst troll comments and replied to them with videos or photos of physique-altering animations on King’s Instagram Story.
Why we love it?
It’s no secret that social media has become an unhealthy addiction for some. For children and teens, the more vulnerable, developing young humans amongst us, it has been blamed for their suffering comparison burn-out last week and even depression, a study found earlier this year. So to see a campaign take the piss out of trolls and hold up a mirror to cyberbulling, makes you feel like there’s hope, if not value in dialogue around our social behaviours. This is one of those brilliant campaigns for a non-profit where an agency really shone a light on the dark side of social, but we can all work together to make it better. High five!
Campaign: KFC follow 11 Herbs and Spices
What is it?
This was a few months ago, but worth noting because simplicity is a tenant of good advertising that never goes out of date… KFC quietly unfollowed most of their followers to carefully reveal an industry secret. Someone noticed the 11 were made up of five spice (girl)s and six people named herb… KFC was telling us what the five spice, six herb secret recipe was all along.
Your bit
Break something. When you have the opportunity to work in social, it can feel like there are lots of rules to obey, but as any good lawyer will tell you, you have to know the rules to break them. This month’s best bits both have an element of breaking the patterns or expected behaviours of social platforms in favour of a powerful message. So break something. You know you want to.
