Movember launches global ‘The Mo is Calling’ campaign via DDB Group Melbourne, Movember Creative Studio and Revolver
Men’s health organisation Movember has launched ‘The Mo is Calling’, a new global fundraising campaign created by DDB Group Melbourne, Movember Creative Studio and Revolver.
This year, Movember is celebrating 20 years of changing the face of men’s health and is marking the occasion by launching a bold, new creative direction calling on everyone to raise funds and save lives.
The campaign will run across the UK, US, Canada, Ireland, NZ and Australia across TV, OOH, PR, social, online, and experiential, with each market activating the campaign further over the coming months.
Says Movember global director of brand and content, Hugh Miller: “To harness the power of distinctive creative to help us drive more registrations this Movember. We wanted to build a sense of radical inclusivity, belonging to something bigger than yourself, something working for good.
“The Mo is Calling is bold and fun. Yet it also has serious edge steeped in why we do what we do. It’s everything the Movember brand stands for.”
Adds DDB Melbourne Group ECD, Psembi Kinstan: “Movember is a globally iconic brand that needed to recapture the sense of fun and attitude it launched with all those years ago.
“We are very excited to launch this new platform to help people unite around the mo. Keep an eye out for this big idea to keep growing in the coming months and years.”
Says DDB Melbourne Group creative partner, Giles Watson: “We have turned the Movember Mo into the Bat Symbol for uniting men. The Illuminati has the All Seeing Eye, Movember has the Mo. It’s a symbol of unity, and whenever it’s seen, men across the world will know they are never alone.
“Help and hope are always close by if you follow the Mo! Mo! Mo! Mo!”
This year, there are several ways to answer the call of the Mo. People can sign up to grow a moustache, run or walk 60km for the 60 men suicide takes globally every hour, throw an event, or set up their own challenge.
A long list of people and businesses united around this cause to bring the campaign to life: Revolver director Matt Devine, English actor Matt Berry (Toast of London, IT Crowd, What We Do in the Shadows), who voiced the campaign, Mongolian folk metal band The HU, the Sydney Bus Museum, and Australian comedian and actor Aaron Gocs.
Berry said he was honoured when Movember asked him to be the voice for its new TV ad: “The work they do to support men’s health has never felt more needed. I encourage everyone to answer the call and sign up to support Movember this year and help stop men from dying too young,”
Client: Movember
Global Director of Brand & Content Director: Hugh Miller
Head of Creative: Hannah O’Mahony
Creative Production Manager: Thomas Pike
Head of Campaigns, Global Income: Stephanie Luxmoore
Head of Brand: Sophia Bell
Senior Copywriter: Kevin Lai
Agency: DDB
Chief Creative Officer: Stephen de Wolf
Group Executive Creative Director: Psembi Kinstan
Group Creative Partner: Giles Watson
Senior Art Director: Charlie Brookes
Senior Art Director: Josh Brown
Senior Copywriter: Anneliese Sullivan
Senior Copywriter: Sebastian Covino
Head of Craft: Adam Hengstberger
Head of Content Production: Sonia McLaverty
Lead Senior Producer: Tony Le
Senior Producer: Maria Borowski
Managing Partner: Toby Beaumont
Business Director: Jenny Thompson, Jiaan Koch
Managing Director, Strategy and Innovation: Leif Stromnes
Planning Director: Chris Regan
Production Company: Revolver
Director: Matt Devine
Managing Director/Co-Owner: Michael Ritchie
Executive Producer/ Partner: Pip Smart
Executive Producer/Comms: Anna Mannix
Senior Producer: Serena Paull
Director of Photography: Jordan Maddocks
Production Designer: Damien Drew
Wardrobe: Olivia Simpson
1st AD: Angus Bolles
Production Manager: Elaine Roy
Gaffer: Michael Adcock
Grip: James Hopwood
Russian Arm Op: Beau Sevastos
Drone Pilot: Ken Butti
Drone Op: Hayden Broderick
VTR: Josh Miller
Sound Recordist: Predrag Malasev
Hair & Make Up: Anastasia Pappas
Unit Manager: David Treloar
Storyboards: Dean Mortensen
Casting: Citizen Jane
Editorial: ARC
Editor: Dan Lee
Post Producer: Jess Ryan
VFX: Heckler
ECD: Jamie Watson
Head of Production: Amy Jarman
Producers: Coralie Tapper, Jess Walley
Flame Online: Julian Ford
3D Artists: Rachael Tedesco, Philip Wang, Edward Hassan, Dusan Marjanovic
Compositor: Nitin Amin
Unreal Engine: Maud Chapuis
Colourist: Ben Eagleton
IO: Daniel Page
Sound Studio: Heckler Sound
Executive Producer: Bonnie Law
Head of Sound: Dave Robertson
Sound Editor: Nat Joyce
Music Supervision & Licensing: Level Two Music
Track: Wolf Totem
Artist: The HU
Stills: Photoplay
Photographer: Chris Budgeon
Senior Producer: Ross Colebatch
Retouching: Ross Goddard
Stills Casting: Peta Dermatis – Studio P
With special thanks to:
Heckler
Heckler Sound
Arc Edit
Citizen Jane Casting
Level Two Music
Panavision
Scenes by Dean
Sevaxis Scorpio Ops
Available Light Film
JJ Hopwood
Ecomlocations
Shellharbour Airport
Kiama Council
Sydney Water
Sydney Bus Museum
The Machine Show
Pedle Bikes and Scooters
Sunny Life
Scott Sign
Retriever Towing
Moore Park Towing
PH Auto
Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride
Propco
DT Unit
Unit Base Film Rentals
Matt Berry
77 Comments
Mo, mo, mo, mo, mo, mo,
This is actually fresh
very good to see movember hitting it again
That was just weird. Impressive credit list though.
Big mo energy on this. That track is a banger.
Australia is having a real moment for good ads, special shoutout to the art directors on this one
1-0
Ah the classic migration to a point ad. One of 3 ad structures to choose from (the other two being; We’re for Thing with a montage and quirky characters read out the brief or offer with one joke included)
Nicely executed but it’s missing an idea.
The patriarchy is alive and well.
It’s for men’s health.
Please do us all a favour…
Wish I could make work like this, and grow moustaches like that.
Nice.
Great to work with you on this one Giles.
Lovely work G child. Absolutely on point.
Love it. Matt Berry VO – Nice touch
I agree, women should be encouraged to grow moustaches too! This add totally excludes women
Good.
excellent
Focusing on testicular and prostate cancer like this is very sexist and exclusionary! How can we make this more inclusive to women?
The Art Direction on this is hottttt! Work I wish I’d created. Great job crew, huge slay.
That went absolutely nowhere. So many great insights along the way – like the 70’s cops in the muscle car… but ultimately for some bizarre, abstract flying chrome moustache?
Imagine having a budget of this size and director of this calibre at your fingertips and coming up with… whatever the heck this is.
I’m genuinely annoyed.
I think you misunderstand what an insight it.
LMAO – there’s a male mental health crisis going on and you come out with a comment like that. Gross.
Super slick. Zero idea.
Love your work Brookesy!
Men. Men. Men! Men! Men!! MEN! MEN!! MEN!!! MENNNN!!!!!
– C.Sheen
but can’t, and the whole ‘is calling’ as a line has been used as many times as ‘like no other’.
“History is Calling”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gF6DqYH6FE
“Sport is Calling”:
https://www.adsoftheworld.com/campaigns/sport-is-calling
For the delivery of something with very little too offer…
Moshitmber
Second ad featuring a dilapidated bus full of men, plus Aaron Gocs in as many weeks.
Let’s get back on top again!
Muy Bueno DDB. Muy Bueno indeed.
Look, I’ve been calling too, but I dig the weirdness of this Moluminati spot.
Besides, it sets up a language (even if it is like crazed Homer seeking revenge on Moe in the Flaming Moe episode) for Mo-Bros to use.
Aussie blokes are mono-syllabic at the best of times, may as well put it to good use.
Good to see the few jaded trolls coming out of from under their bridges. This comment section was starting to feel a little too positive.
Fun, striking and clear. This is going to work.
So brave, so virtuous, thank you for the sermon you paragon of integrity.
I love how anyone who is critical on Campaign Brief is immediately labelled old, jaded, bitter etc.
If you put out mediocre work expect to be called out for it. If you’re a standup comedian and no one in the audience is laughing, that’s a sign you need to work on your act. Imagine telling the audience they’re bitter and jaded because they didn’t laugh enough at a shit set.
Best month of Australian advertising in a decade?
What’s the budget for this “charity” commercial. Astonishing.
Art direction is unreal. Go Josh and Charlie!!
DOPE! DOPE!! DOPE!!!
What’s the idea?
Love the track. What a banger. Love it. Love it.
Lovely work! It’s just a shame Scramble Studios was cut from the credits list.
it’s bloody fun. well done.
Legit my fav ad of the year. What a stupid piece of fun. love.
Hahahhahahahahahahhaha
You brought humour back to very serious things we need to talk about. Thank you movember
It’s a great cause and obviously had a healthy budget. It gets the message across well. But as a creative I struggle to see the idea? Probably many better ideas left on the walls due to this one being an easy get. I’d say it should never have been presented
The idea is that every year in November a charity called Movember brings people together to support Men’s health.
The big Mo is what’s known as a metaphor for Movember the charity. So the men are all gravitating towards the “Big MO” to join the movement.
The young man that gets on the bus without the Mo is also a Metaphor for new participants in the Movember month.
Another way this film could be explained conceptually is that Movember is a fun charity.
The vo… the track… cgi… this makes movember feel BIG. Well done.
Nice !!
I do agree with some of the comments around the idea but I dig this, particularly the out of home and symbol. I can see this getting better and better each year. No mean feat for a global piece of work.
The idea is one of the creatives stumbled across “Xardos” on YouTube and wanted to shoehorn the flying head into an ad.
The out of home is super confusing if you haven’t seen the TVC.
Script: We follow a bunch of misfits chanting mo, mo, mo as they make a pilgrimage to a giant, floating, silver mustache. An upbeat track plays. The end.
Pretty awesome script if you think about it.
What a squandered budget.
this is ACE. Movember is rocking again.
To see some magic from the new guard at DDB. This is some mediocre stuff again. Bronze at MADC at best.
Light on idea. Actually if the idea was feel the powerful god like calling of the moustache then I’m not sure there is an idea at all.
Definitely executed well. Just no concept.
Awesome to see this stuff coming out of melbourne.
Sure, the idea is basic. But it needs to be. Especially if this is a global piece of work. Clear take-out, entertaining, beautifully crafted.
So this is where they go…
The art direction for the print/ billboard is strong.
Good to see DDB on a run of big work again
Men from all creed, you are called to be on top. Men, there is no need to be hurting, you are the chosen ones.
Charlie’s da man.
Epic work
This is Cannes Titanium, D&AD black pencil worthy. Can’t believe how good this is. Up there with the best ads to come out of the country …. I mean the world.
Writting insane, art direction in the membrane.
Agreed. This is a stunning piece of work that will define the Australian advertising landscape for decades to come. “Come on Aussie?” no thanks, they’ll be playing “Mo! Mo! Mo!” in AWARD school classes for generations.
This piece of art truly transcends the need for an idea and is testament to the fact that a big budget and slick director are all that is needed to dazzle the unsuspecting public into parting with their hard-earned cash. 11/10.
Not even campaign brief comments can believe how positive campaign brief comments are.
Incredible campaign. So good to see this much creativity coming from a charity. The voiceover is iconic. 10/10 to the team involved.
How come nobody commented on the left-hand drive Valiant wagon?!
Where did the left-hand drive valiant come from as they CM valiant weren’t ever produced in left-hand drive?
“This ad totally excludes women,” so one comment complained. Good, I say, as the owner of testicles. Men need to start thinking men’s health for themselves. Seriously. I’ve had $many millions invested in my on-air copy and usually the client squashes out all but the overt. But this ad contains, retains, the thing Bill Bernbach truly understood: generating real curiosity…