In a few words, tell us about your role in the creation of "It’s never just post"
As the creative team (Charlotte Robins - Art Director, Nina Griffiths - Copywriter) we came up with the concept of ‘It’s Never Just Post’ including the cardboard objects and the stories behind each item being sent.
What was the original brief for this campaign?
Simply, ‘get people to fall in love with posting again’.
What inspired you to approach the campaign this way?
A lot of brands take a ‘whatever your reason, we’ve got it covered’ approach, but we wanted to create something more personal. Whether you’re sending to a loved one overseas, or returning something because stripes are no longer your thing, the stories behind every parcel that is sent out are endless, and so individual. This is where we found our inspiration to hero these stories. What better way to do this than by turning the bare bones of every parcel (cardboard) into something a lot more meaningful and beautiful.
How difficult was it to sell the idea to Post Office?
We were essentially trying to produce 50 shades of beige. Before we had any well-crafted cardboard sculptures to show for ourselves, it took a lot of imagination to envisage how beautiful the end product would be. Luckily our clients saw the potential, and once we found our cardboard artist Chris, our inbox just kept filling with updates of the sculptures being built. It was a great feeling to watch it all coming together, and Chris surpassed all of our expectations.
What was the biggest challenge you faced during the process?
The stop-motion films. Planning, for example, how 5 big boxes will elegantly crumble into 300 teeny boxes within half a second is no mean feat. Credit to our director, cardboard artist and the team for being such dab-hands with a scalpel, and truly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the world of cardboard sculpture. It was time consuming, but worth it.
What did you learn from the experience?
When you’re hungry, even a cake made from cardboard can make you salivate.
What’s a “behind the scenes” story that only you know about?
The bride was actually modelled on Kate Middleton, and the groom is based on Matt Smith (Sorry, Will).
What do you think the advertising industry's New Year’s resolution should be?
With everything going on in the world lately we’re quite conscious that the ad industry should be responsible when putting content out. There’s been a real sense of the public being lied to with fake news etc in the last few years, and people are becoming cynical and distrusting. It’s not always easy, but if we can influence the messages put into the public sphere, then why not make them something positive? Spread the love, people!
What is your favorite holiday campaign of all time?
Our joint favourite is Sainsbury’s 2014 Christmas campaign - it’s still hauntingly relevant.