Talking 'bout my inspiration

Fabrice Plazolles - CCO, Havas Paris

It’s 1998, I’m 10 years old, and I’m a huge football fan. 

The World Cup is coming to France, and on every TV screen, there’s this John Woo TVC playing on repeat, featuring 11 mega stars, totally chill, improvising a football game in an airport. 

This film left a mark on me with its simplicity, flow, and coolness. An airport delay, a universal truth, transformed into a moment of joy and sharing thanks to football. 

It’s so accurate, so quintessentially Brazilian. You can’t say the creative leap is immense, or that it’s an astonishing or groundbreaking script. But it’s brilliant and delightful, nonetheless. 

Each scene is a little gem, right up to the cameo by King Cantona. 

So, when it was time to catch the plane after watching that, you can imagine I was dreaming of wearing a Brazil jersey and dribbling through the entire terminal!  

Avi Steinbach - Creative Director, Ogilvy New York 

For all the brilliant films and award-winning work I’ve seen over the years, it was this old Avis print ad I remember seeing when I was younger that stood out. 

To make a whole campaign about how you’re not the best is so honest and brilliant. Then, they leaned in about how they can’t afford to not be the best, how their lines are shorter, and if I remember correctly one of their ads even put their CEO’s phone number on it. 

They turned their weakness into a strength.

It’s one of those things I thought, “Woah, you can do that? I want to do that!” Because advertising traditionally was - and still is - all about chest beating. Companies shouting over one another. 

Even when you’re not, they’d just lie. 

Best sneakers. Best fast food. 

To not just try to hide that you’re not the best but actually flaunt it was mind-blowing. 

Also, I probably thought it was cool that this company shared a name with me. 

But mostly the other more insightful stuff I said... 

Sophie Gold – President, ELEANOR

In the early 2000s, I remember going to the cinema and watching Orange ads on the big screen. 

I liked that the delivery was very straight on both sides. Brennan Brown nailed the self-serving movie executive rewriting the scripts of legendary films to include mobiles. The famous actors pitching their ideas always matched his energy with a hilarious, straight-faced frustration.

There was a cleverness in how these ads centered Orange, while also asking audiences to ensure their product didn’t interrupt the moviegoing experience. 

With a refreshing level of self-awareness, the film fearlessly poked fun at all involved, including the executives representing Orange.  

It was the perfect film for a cinephile. This campaign showed me that ads can be entertaining. 

Ale Rey - Director, Argentinacine

I don't remember exactly which was the first one, but the one that definitely made me consider the possibility of directing was the Guinness commercial, Surfer, directed by Jonathan Glazer.