In this week’s Our Take, Annie Leibovitz is at it again, giving us goosebumps via an inspiring Bupa campaign. A pitch-perfect challenge is turning a rare gift into an exclusive scholarship opportunity. Digital storefronts are saying bye-bye to the word ‘buy,’ and Netflix is giving us a slice of the silver screen in the name of a good cause.
Picture This: Health Gets a Makeover
Lights, camera, health! Photographer royalty Annie Leibovitz is flexing her camera muscles for Bupa’s “Picture of Health” campaign, and it’s not your average fitness photo shoot. Forget the one-size-fits-all definition of health we see plastered everywhere—this campaign is about celebrating health in all its inspiring and diverse forms.
Bupa’s recent research shows that 83% of folks in the UK, Spain, and Australia feel health is often misrepresented. And honestly? They’re so right. We’ve all seen the same old fitness ads, but what about showing real people with different body types, abilities, and stories?
Enter six Para athletes with six unique takes on health. Annie’s lens captures everything from British sprinter Emmanuel Oyinbo-Coker’s holistic health vibes to Polish shot put star Róża Kozakowska’s ironclad strength. This campaign is a celebration of health, whether it’s the independence that drives Aussie canoe champ Curtis McGrath or the inner-peace Spanish sprinter Sara Andrés Barrio finds post-accident.
The campaign also allows everyone to participate in the conversation by opening up an online gallery from 21st May to 21st June 2024. People can upload their own “Picture of Health,” showing off how they define wellness—whether it’s sweating it out, chilling in nature, or just having a good laugh with friends. It’s all about capturing the fun, personal ways we stay happy and healthy, no matter what that looks like.
Pitch Perfect
One in 10,000 people have perfect pitch, and we don’t mean the cringy movie… we mean having the ability to name any musical note just by hearing it. It’s a pretty solid party trick for a karaoke night and, of course, for any budding musician. But many Mozarts ignore this rare gift with nothing motivating them to make this competitive advantage their profession. Enter the ‘Call If You Can’ campaign.
In July 2024, Paradox Music Institute in Ecuador (PMIE) launched a campaign to tap into this talented pool by dishing out free scholarships. The institute created songs using the dialling tones of phone numbers, which were broadcast on national radio stations, Spotify and YouTube. The first to recreate these melodies using their phone keypad and dial up the number won a coveted scholarship.
We love it when a campaign uses gamification, especially for a very particular set of skills. This interactive ad put PMIE on the map for a truly creative application process. Now excuse us Millennials while we swear blind that we could do this challenge in our sleep because we come from a time before QWERTY keyboards, when no one had their phone on silent.
Bye-Bye Buy
Under a new law in California, digital storefronts are no longer allowed to use the words ‘buy’ or ‘purchase’ to refer to ownership of certain digital products. Meanwhile, eBooks, movies, and games have disappeared from the online libraries of confused consumers.
The new law (AB 2426) was put into the place to highlight that for many of these products, consumers are only getting a usage license but not actual ownership of them. The law combats a new trend of companies removing content from their servers without notifying those who “purchased” it.
Under this new law, if they try to trick you into thinking you own it, they’ll get slapped with a false advertising fine.
This is a new law for a new era as we move further away from purchasing physical items when it comes to movies and gaming. As servers continue to become stronger and more durable, we predict more and more of these laws coming into effect across the world.
Netflix Gets Mindful
It’s confession time… we’ve always secretly wanted to wear one of the ties from Sex Education’s Moordale High School. And what’s even better is that now we actually can! And even better again – it’s for a good cause.
To mark World Mental Health Day, Netflix UK has teamed up with the not-for-profit Mind Charity. Together, they’re bringing the best-loved items from our favorite Netflix shows to a pop-up auction in London and Birmingham.
From 11th October, you can enter the As Seen on Netflix online auction and nab the top tropes from hit shows. It’s set to have everything from the original Bridgerton Whistledown papers to the signed Rolls Royce t-shirt from Beckham. It even has Jean’s wooden pen!s from Sex Education! … wait what?
With all proceeds going to Mind Charity to support their life-changing services and support lines, we reckon this one is going to be a hit. And personally, we think the wooden d!ck could work as a very nice hat stand… don’t ask.