EMOTION

The Fork warns of the dangers of booking a restaurant without their app plus...4 more clever campaigns that use gung-ho protagonists to make their point.

You're All Set | The Fork | Droga5 | 2023

TheFork app simplifies restaurant reservations and partnered with Droga5 London for a comical commercial showcasing its benefits while pointing out the consequences of leaving things to chance. The ad starts with a man narrating that booking a restaurant without TheFork is possible, but we see a couple frustrated by noisy kids while trying to order lunch. The narrator highlights the importance of preparation through various scenarios, like checking the weather before skiing or booking a hotel. The message is clear: booking with TheFork ensures leaving nothing to chance, as shown by the couple enjoying dinner in a beautiful restaurant!

Netflix Spoilers | Netflix | Miami Ad Students | 2020

During COVID-19 lockdown, Netflix used spoilers from its most popular shows to promote civil obedience. Except it didn’t. The campaign was the brainchild of some ad students but its intent was legitimate and it garnered huge worldwide attention. From a story perspective, it’s a nigh-on perfect example of ‘gung-ho’ (message-ignoring) protagonists suffering disastrous consequences as a result of their civil disobedience.

Click Baby Click | Adobe | Goodby Silverstein & Partners | 2014

In this campaign, the life and death stakes are profitability vs. bankruptcy and our gung-ho protagonists are a bunch of executives at a dull Encyclopaedia company. When they see a spike in traffic to their site, we watch them make many rash business decisions that will clearly lead to bankruptcy given that the source of the spike in traffic is revealed to be a baby. If only they’d installed Adobe to interpret their data better then they would have known….

Follow The Frog | Rainforest Alliance | Wander | 2012

This campaign takes a gung-ho protagonist perspective and shows the disastrous consequences that occur when you ignore Rainforest Certified products and attempt to try and save the rainforest all by yourself. The call to action ‘Follow The Frog’ validates the brand as a way to achieve the same ‘shared desire’ without destroying your life.