No strings attached

Agency Wieden+Kennedy São Paulo delivers a genuinely pulse-pounding advert that features a skydiver jumping out of a plane...without a parachute. 

With no special effects, safety nets, or strings attached, a skydiver free falls towards the ground, dangerously fast, before he makes a purchase of a parachute in midair. The piece, meant to show how easy it is to use Brazilian credit card, Elo via Google Play, is incredibly over-the-top and direct. This could have been done easier, faster, and with animation and a voice-over, but W+K decided to go all out with professional skydivers, cinema Red cameras, and a legitimate parachute sale at 8,000 feet. 

The in-your-face concept isn’t hiding anything. The man literally jumps out of a plane, followed by a delivery man, who sells him a parachute in midair. It’s both scary and thrilling to watch, a piece that makes you pause and rethink what you’re seeing. The ease of use of the product is put front and center, and there’s no mistaking what’s going on, the familiar action of offering your phone when payment is required an easily recognizable and universal gesture.  

With a fun backing track and cool, text-message like copy popping up to explain exactly what’s going on, Páraquedas is a bold spot that doesn’t hide what it’s doing, giving us no-frills danger and excitement. They also developed a short “making-of” video, seen below.