Technology’s cycle of planned obsolescence is a harmful contributor to the climate crisis, with millions of phones and devices being produced around the world daily. To make consumers question their buying behaviors and consider purchasing “reborn” devices instead, electronics marketplace Back Market has released a U.S. brand awareness campaign.
Released on Nov. 21, the “Tech Reborn” campaign will be led by a new brand film called Monster directed by Johnny Kelly, featuring the work of puppeteer Andy Gent and produced by Nexus Studio.
The 1-minute short features a tech-creating monster made from white earphones, which is overproducing new smartphones before he is shown their impact on society and the planet. He learns the errors of his ways when a young girl shows him how old phones can be rebuilt to be as good as new.
It ends with the statement “Let’s do more with what we already have.”
Woody Wright, director of U.S. marketing for Back Market, told Adweek the campaign was created in response to companies that for years “have tried to convince us that their high-quality tech has an annual expiration date in order to convince people to buy more.”
“Back Market believes we should do more with what we already have,” he added. “The story asks us to reflect on our own buying habits and challenges the belief that you have to sacrifice something when buying products that have a lower impact on your wallet and the environment. Reborn devices from Back Market aren’t ‘good as new,’ they are better.”
The brief for the campaign was to grow awareness in the U.S. alongside the category of refurbished electronics and to “showcase the joy that refurbished tech can bring to humans and to the world around them while keeping the delightfully irreverent Back Market tone of voice front and center.”
Alongside the hero film, OOH ads for “Tech Reborn” will be deployed in major New York City transit hubs. The hero film will run through premium video placements and social media, as well the across the YouTube masthead and over Vevo. It will also appear across digital TV, Hulu and linear ad breaks during NFL games, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and throughout Christmas in Rockefeller Center.
“Inflation is at an all-time high, and with the holidays as a key shopping season, Americans will be looking for better deals without having to compromise on quality,” added Wright of how Back Market and the circular economy were growing in relevance.
“Back Market offers tech and appliances sold by verified sellers through a curated search algorithm, ensuring a frictionless experience from discovery to purchase so more people in the U.S. have an alternative to buying brand-new tech.”
Credits:
Brand: Back Market
Co-Founder and CCO: Vianney Vaute
Strategic Advisor: Seth Farbman
Creative Director: Jeff Johnson
Creative Director: Steve Peck:
Head of U.S. Marketing: Woody Wright
Executive Producer: Melanie Baublis
Strategic Consultant: Jeff Kenyon
Lead Art Director: Victor Antonelli
Head of Content: Eugena Ossi
Expert Copywriter: Adam Pasulka
Hannah Laloum: Creative Studio Manager
Lucy Hargrove: Social Media Manager
Production Company: Nexus Studios
Executive Producer: Josephine Gallagher
Executive Producer: Camila de Biaggi
Senior Producer: Josephine Gallagher
Production Manager: Ruyi Meer
Production Assistant: Max Bigg
Studio CG Supervisor: Mark Davies
VFX Supervisor and Lead Compositor: Germán Diez
Editor: Dave Slade
Art Directors: Melanie Climent and Callum Strachan
Character Designer: James Noellert
2D Animators: Chris Cray, Joe Sparkes, Matt Partridge, Bethany Levy
Compositors: Gareth Tredrea, Hugo Vieites Caamano, Sander Saks, Vitori Jalabert, Alexandre Gaudiano
Storyboards: Richard Buxton
PR and Marketing: Valentina Tarelli, Nancy Edmondson, Isobel Wise, Stephanie Anjo
Puppet & Set Build: Arch Model Studio
Sets and Puppets: Andy Gent
Set Build: Asylum
Set Supervisor: Peter Tilbe
Set Technician: Josh Guess, Tom Bull, Daniel Tynan
Live-Action and Puppetry:
Director of Photography: Matt Fox
1st AD: Robert Thorpe
Production Manager: Rhian Gwenlan
Runner: Kai Rajakulasingam
2nd AC: Rosamund Freeman
Grip: Kevin Foy
DIT: Phoebe Frazer
CCTV Operator: Liam Coles
Focus Puller: Ben Jones
Gaffer: Paul Allen
Electricians: Jono Yates, Bill Rae Smith, Michael Smit, Ed Riley, Tim Jordan, Auxane Verdier, Ana Krkljus
Lead Puppeteer: Tim Cherry Jones
Puppeteers: Shakara Carter, Kim Scopes
Lead Animator: Tobias Fouracre
1st AC (stop motion): George Warren
Set Maintenance: Mark Chippington
Puppet Maintenance: Sofia Serrano
Behind The Scenes: Juliette Dalton
Medics: Simon Lee, Paul Mawson
https://www.adweek.com/commerce/back-markets-animated-ad-portrays-tech-firms-as-monsters/