It was exactly a year ago that the Guardian and BBH London unveiled the "Own the Weekend" campaign, envisioning a world in which the newspaper literally owned the weekend—or as it would be known henceforth, the Guardian and Observer Weekend™. For 2014, the newspaper company is offering another installment of the campaign to promote its new weekend lifestyle supplement. The title: "Use in Moderation."
It's the weekend—sorry, the Guardian and Observer Weekend™—and Ian, an average suburban dad, bids goodbye to his wife and daughter as they run out for an hourlong errand. Rather than join them, Ian opts to stay home and read the paper. But it's not just the paper—it's the chock-full-of-ideas weekend edition of the Guardian. And as a narrator warns us, "It's all just too much for one human being."
Flash forward one hour. Havoc reigns. The kitchen is a disaster. Sudoku puzzles cover the walls. There's a goat in the hallway. Oh, and the shed is on fire. Ian, now wild-eyed and down to his skivvies, has attempted to cook every recipe, tackle every DIY project and adopt every hobby mentioned by the newspaper. "It was Ian versus the weekend," the narrator deadpans, "and the weekend won."
Once again, the concept is very literal—but the end result is still very, very good. While it's generally not advised (at least in the marketing world) to imply that the use of one's product will result in complete mayhem, when said product is something as decidedly un-edgy as a newspaper, the concept actually works. And let's face it, if anything can use a bit of excitement, it's the newspaper industry.
CREDITS
Client: The Guardian
Director of Brand & Engagement: Richard Furness
Product Marketing Manager: Charlotte Emmerson
Newspaper Marketing Manager: Jenny Heeley
Social Media Marketing Manager: Clare Carney
Agency: BBH, London
Deputy Executive Creative Director: David Kolbusz
Creative Director: Wesley Hawes and Gary McCreadie
Art Director: AK Parker
Copywriter: George Brettell
Producer: Rachel Hough
Assistant Producer: David Lynch
Chief Strategy Officer: Jason Gonsalves
Strategic Business Lead: Zara Mirza
Team Director: Jon Barnes
Team Manager: Fiona Buddery, Jonny Price
Strategy Director: Agathe Guerrier
Strategist: Alana King
Production Company: Biscuit
Director: Jeff Lowe
Executive Producer: Orlando Wood
Producer: Kwok Yau
DoP: Ed Wild
Post Production: Ben Turner - The Mill
Editor/Editing House: Mark Burnett - Ten Three