The Work 2024 Contenders: Howatson+Company

May 1 2024, 12:55 pm | BY Ricki Green | No Comments

Campaign Brief recognises and showcases the great work that is being produced in the region with The Work 2024 Contenders. Here is Howatson+Company’s Top 3…


Mastercard: TOUCH
Howatson+Company
Over 500 million people visit the cinema every year. Yet for those who are blind or have low vision, the experience is an afterthought. They rely on audio descriptions, screen readers or a companion to explain what’s on the screen.

To launch Touch Card – a bank card designed for the blind and low vision community – Mastercard flipped the script to create an inclusive cinema experience that was truly priceless.

‘TOUCH’ is a feature-length motion picture without pictures. Brought to life solely through Dolby 7.1 sound, without images or audio descriptions. Made so all audiences can enjoy the magic of cinema together, no matter their level of vision.

It follows an original story of a neuroscientist trapped inside his father’s mind, along with his ex-girlfriend and an unsuspecting delivery driver. To escape, they must journey through crumbling memories and forgotten worlds.

This unique film was developed in collaboration with consultants, composers, writers and actors from blind and low vision communities all over the world- alongside award-winning filmmakers.

‘TOUCH’ premiered at iconic theatres across Australia, where both sighted and non-sighted people were invited to experience the film together. After one premiere, the project garnered +AUD S10million in earned media coverage and reached 74+ million people.

But this is just the start. The production learnings from TOUCH’ have been turned into a lesson module and taught in leading film schools, giving future filmmakers a blueprint to make more inclusive productions.


Modibodi: I’m Dying Inside
Howatson+Company
Life’s a lot for young people. Heartbreak. Anxiety. Moving out. Coming out. Sex. #hustleculture. The f***ing climate crisis. Men. Then you get your period.

To introduce Modibodi, Australia’s leading period underwear brand, to Gen Z, we created a new series built exclusively for their favourite platform – TikTok.

Five episodes, four housemates, all getting their periods at the same time. A taboo-breaking celebration of life today for young menstruators, exploring issues like baby-gay hook-ups, endometriosis flare-ups, accidental period sex stains and more.

Created with the production value of TV, crafted for 9 by 16. Featuring a cast, crew and writer’s room made up female and non-binary Gen Z talent, original screenplays dripping with cultural nuance and original music for each episode.

But we couldn’t just put the episodes on Modibodi’s Tik Tok channel and expect people to watch it. To make the algorithm work for us and drive views, we collaborated with TikTok to create an entire ecosystem of BTS content that tapped into platform trends and topics of interest. This fresh approach to delivering content achieved huge results, helping an entire generation of young menstruators fall in love with the Modibodi brand. Slay.

+12 Million views in 4 weeks | +91.4% increase in brand engagement  | +44% increase in website traffic | +75% increase in sales.

“This has set the benchmark for how brands should show up on TikTok” – Denny Handlin, Head of Global Business Marketing, TikTok AU/NZ.


ABC iview: Always Free. Always Entertaining.
Howatson+Company
With streaming subscription prices increasing and cost of living at an all-time high, millions of people are being forced to choose which streaming service to cancel. Netflix or Prime? Disney+ or Apple TV? As a completely free streaming service, with world-class drama, comedy, sport, news, kids shows and more, ABC iview is one streamer Aussies never need to cancel. To promote this, we launched a new brand platform featuring a series of films with characters from different TV genres lamenting the fact that the streaming platform they’re on is about to get cancelled. To complement the films, we also created a series of OOH ads that cheekily fuelled the subscription debate ABC iview can never be part of.

 

The deadline for Campaign Brief’s The Work 2024 is Friday May 3. Entries are FREE with only an acceptance fee charged for those that make the cut. See full details and enter here… If your company has entered The Work and would like to showcase your Top 3, email ricki@campaignbrief.com.