TWO shortlisted for the WIREHIVE 100 Awards
We are thrilled to announce our nomination for the category, ‘Best Use of Emerging Technologies’, at the Wirehive 100 2019 awards celebration. TWO has been shortlisted for the award and the nomination serves as a reassuring indication as to how we measure up in the industry.
The event takes place on the 17th October at Thorpe Park in Chertsey, during one of their annual Spooky Friday Nights. Participation is open to agencies based in the South, excluding London, ranking the top 100 agencies HQed in this region. The theme for this year’s Awards night is a Venetian Masquerade Ball. And whether crowned lucky winners or not, we will be throwing on our best frocks and smartest tuxedos to enjoy what will no doubt be a fine showcase of digital excellence.
A butterfly formed of GeoMags for Merian
OUR ENTRY
Our entry was an office hologram designed for Merian Global Investors during their rebrand. Merian investors, previously known as Old Mutual, decided to rebrand back in the Autumn of 2018, transitioning to an overall fresher and more contemporary brand identity. Using storytelling to truly harness the authenticity of their brand, they chose Maria Sibylla Merian as a brand icon. Maria was a German adventurer, scientist, naturalist and botanical illustrator.
The synergy of her many talents coupled with her sharp intellect and curiosity reflects the firm’s unique multifaceted approach to investment. Merian was well known for her illustrations of plants and insects, cue our “hologram in a box” designed for the client’s reception area.
Merian looked to symbolise its rebirth with the use of butterflies and Chrysalis. TWO was instrumental in developing an online strategy and creative for the new brand launch around its chosen theme of rebirth. Our biggest challenge was how to balance the butterfly concept with our client’s longstanding relationship with Geomags, and the brand’s visual association with the construction toy.
We weaved this into the creative by using bars and magnets to make up the physiological composition of the brand’s new icons. To add a touch of “surprise and delight” a butterfly unexpectedly takes flight after two minutes of perching on the branch. This adds fluidity and surprises the viewer lasting for a fleeting few seconds.
A selection of Merian Advertising, promoted worldwide
The campaign’s comprehensive output was a full advertising suite straddling online ads, an assortment of out-of-home assets including videos for the Waterloo “WOW” screen, and transmission screens across key rail sites in London. The “hologram in a box”, designed to provide an aesthetic uplift to Merian’s reception area, forms the more experiential element of the broader campaign.
This could not have happened without the help of our sister agency and creative partner, Candoo studios, with whom we worked in close partnership to arrive at a model that functions across both digital and print formats.
This is only a small glimpse into what we do. Keep an eye on this space for more insights into what we can create and, importantly, how we finish in this year’s Wirehive 100 rankings for ‘Best Use of Emerging Technologies’.