Leith launches new s1 Jobs ad with cycle sensation MacAskill
s1jobs has launched a new campaign showcasing the talents of Scottish cycling sensation Danny MacAskill.
The campaign, launched today with the theme ‘Love your job’, appears on TV and in an extended YouTube version and shows MacAskill performing a jaw dropping series of stunts on his less than ordinary journey to work. The ads were filmed in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
MacAskill unexpectedly took the internet by storm after posting a video of himself performing street trials stunts around Edinburgh. The footage has since been viewed nine and a half million times.
The s1jobs campaign was developed by The Leith Agency, produced by The Gate Films and directed by Mark Jewitt. Media is by The Media Shop Scotland.
David Craik, Head of Marketing at s1 said: “The first time we saw Danny’s YouTube video we were blown away. He’s an incredible Scottish talent, which when you think about it is what s1jobs is all about. So we wanted to create a campaign that would showcase Danny doing his thing, without too much interference from us. We’re delighted with the results.”
Brian Coane, partner at The Leith said: "The brief from s1 was to create a campaign showing that the right job can make your life better. Work is a hugely important thing in most people’s lives and having a job you love going to is an amazing thing for a lot of people. Using Danny MacAskill to create a joyful journey to work summed up the mood of looking forward to the day ahead rather than taking a more negative approach typical in recruitment advertising."
MacAskill said: "I'm really excited about the advert, I was allowed to choose some of the wilder things I wanted to try and it looks amazing.”
The Love your job campaign also features imagery by up and coming Scottish photographer, Jane Stockdale and music by Glasgow band Aereogramme. The track is called ‘Barriers’ and is available on iTunes.
The extended YouTube film can be viewed here.
The TV ad can be viwed here.
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Comments
I wanted to like this but I found the over-use of slow-mo and the choice of music just plain wrong for the 'joyful' message of the ad. Some of the imagery and photography was beautiful though. How many times is it seen in its full 4-min+ 'glory'? Maybe when edited to fit shorter spots it's a bit less self-indulgent and more pacey.
Indeed: a very poor - i never thought I would be bored watching Danny do his stuff. Have a look at how own film here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o
you won't be bored watching that - the editing in this "new" film is very poor, no pacing, no proper stucture, no momentum....just dull.
Filming/editing aside. It's lazy advertising.
I think this is a work of genius. They've taken something exciting and fresh and made it look dull and dreadfully boring. A master stroke. I hope that was the brief?
No creative team mentioned...
...wonder why that is!?
I agree it's lazy – shoe-horning something the client found (and liked) on Youtube into an advert for finding a job. Brief was written backwards I bet.
Another in the long list of agencies ripping off original content.
Honey Monster No No.
Unfortunately the opportunism greatly outweighs the opportunity. Which is now available for us all to see....recessions are not great for quality control...
The lad is remarkable. The ad is not. Wheelie bad. (Sorry.)
Ditto all below...
He was waiting to be used in a nice ad.
I guess he still is,
Boooooo - I was waiting to use MacAskill in the Halfords xmas campaign.
What's big Les Watt to say about all this?
I Agree with all comments below.
The whole concept doesn't really gel.
The strapline should read- 'love your hobby, then go to work'. Not really a great selling point for the client.
I think they've missed a trick here.
"The ads were filmed in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow."
Wheres the iconic landmarks? or even jumping off ANY references to workplaces.
the edit (short and long) doesn't even live up to the amateur films on youtube, created by some young lads, who got a mac for xmas.
Poor, very Poor.
The Drum vultures are back!
Why not comission the original Danny film/edit crew then you would have something of interest. The camera positioning is chronic. What next! Running over roofs to get away from work.
It's only a "slagfest" when the work's bad. Which in this case it is – unfortunately.
It truly is a slagfest on here for most things. Good, bad and ugly. It depends where it comes from and who has mates where. Just human nature.
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Phew, glad I saw the short ad version as it makes perfect sense and in the confines of a 'telly ad' works well. Perhaps should have stopped there, as another long version is only ever going to be compared with the stunning original.
Very true. It doesn't matter how good the work is that you put on show, if you've pissed some one off in the past, this is where they get to stick-it to you - publicly. Don Smith and Propaganda spring to mind.
PS. Let's be honest the S1 work isn't that bad.
So, using the logic of the last 4 or 5 comments we should pretend to like something even though it is obvisouly mediocre / poor? That's self delusional nonesense. This site is pretty fair - look at the comments on the Media City story further down the news section - every one positive....
It's not a case of pretending to like something. It's a case of, is it worth posting new work on the a site where all of your peers get to rip it to pieces under an Anonymous name. As an agency I would definitely think twice. Do you want your client to read how crap everyone thinks your work is? For all you know most of the anons below could be pissed off creatives who never got past the door at the Leith. Granted, the Media City work is lovely but going by your logic, 1 in 15 get through the public gauntlet.
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Look anonymous 10:13 - I never pretended anything. I said my comment fair and square in that it works well on telly - an opinion I am entitled to. I also said the media city thing was brilliant - an opinion I am also entitled to.
Put your name to your comments next time and spell 'nonsense' correctly - it would help with your credibility.
I knew it would only be a matter of time before someone ripped of danny's youtube video. Where's the creative thought/idea in this ad???
This reminds me of the current landrover ad that is running, the creatives who came up with this ad ripped off the olympus 50th anniversary youtube video - which actually has an idea behind it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9Et7UQh1tg
On the plus side the S1 jobs ad has been shot well and looks pretty good. But does look like a promotional video for danny!
Touchy, touchy...did David Issaac get out the wrong side of bed this morning?
Let's not get into the whole "anon" thing again and we really don't have to have perfect spelling on a blog do wee?
What does it say about the planning of this campaign when you visit the s1jobs website and there's no reference to "Love your Job" anywhere on the homepage? You can see a headshot of Danny though...
...seems even Leith are susceptible to "client's wife" syndrome every once in a while.
Famously Anonymous xx
How on earth did this invitation for kids to break every bone in their body trying to copy death defying jumps off of high buildings ever get through Clearcast???
Maybe they were just to bored to watch the whole and very grey ad!
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Well I fucking Like it so bums to the lot of you. The ad is entertaining, The protagonist a local. And the line turns it round rather neatly.
So to the army of super creatives out there why don't you do something better?
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Language Bishy.
I like it too, in fact it's a grower.
I'm perhaps most impressed by the fact Leith got it past Clearcast.
Some silky chat there Brian.
And it got talked about.
And will some more. I predict 40 comments
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The actual ad is much better; tight, dramatic and the music works well.
http://www.s1jobs.com/dannymacaskill/
Do you think Bish and Angus have a kind of Timothy Lumsden & Mother, 80's sitcom 'Sorry' type of relationship? When Bish steps out of line you can hear Angus shouting "Language Bishy" And then maybe giving him Bitty to mix my sitcoms.
Or perhaps maybe they don't.
"Love your Job" "Love your hair" "Love your brand"
Been there done that and bought the proverbial T!
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It's more like father Jack and father Ted. But I still like a bit of bitty.
Sarah i agree with your comments about how the ad is tight and dramatic and there's no question about it the production/post production guys have done a great job, but lets be honest this ad doesn't send out a message about loving your job, it sends out a message of love mountain biking or love riding to work or try this at home and possibly break a few bones while you're at it.
I personally feel like there may have been somewhere down the line, a great idea for using this guy but sadly the client managed to get their hands onto it.
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Father Dougal, I would have said.
And I prefer Cillit Bang to Bitty.
Now get back on your mat, Bish, or I'll get the Taser again,
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Im pretty sure in reality Danny works at the bike shop on Lothian Road - would it not make sense to see a guy that can ride like that turn up to work in a bike shop? "Find a job to suit your passion" - Writes itself!
Nothing about this ad makes sense. In what way does all the cycling display demonstrate that the rider "loves his job"? It doesn't. Not even slightly. If you'd taken Danny's youtube video and pasted the end line on you'd end up with the same ad. Only that one would be better because the locations are actually interesting and the soundtrack isn't woefully out of place.
Brace yourselves...
Hello, this is Danny's mum. He won't be in work today. He fell off his bike.
No again! Tell 'im he's sacked. Too much kerry oan in that boays heid.
Kerry?
a very, very sad day for advertising when an agency like Leith put this sort of stuff out :( I actually can't think of a single positive thing to say, so I'll say no more.
If he had a courier bag on I might of 'got' it! Then it would of been clear that he was at work (as a courier) and loving it. The ad shows him having fun on his bike before work, nothing to relate it to his actual work, which is...? in an office? maybe he was getting rid of his creativity and flare before being sat at desk for 8 hours bored out his skull!
"which is...? in an office? maybe he was getting rid of his creativity and flare before being sat at desk for 8 hours bored out his skull!"
i think you meant, maybe he was getting rid of his creativity and flare before going to work at 'the' agency and coming up with the creative for this ad....
I'd love to see some of you anonymous critics deconstruct car ads. So what do they mean exactly then??
One take on this ad could be that you first think it's another boring commute in the rain but suddenly he takes a detour and has some fun on the way - perhaps in anticipation of his equally enjoyable job. Perhaps the guy feels good about going to work and is inspired to play on the way rather than drag his heels and trudge along, eyes down like many commuters.
But whatever - part of advertising is to strike an emotional chord and this works as the tune is somewhat uplifting, the bike tricks are excellent (not everyone watches youTube by the way so there's probably a large audience who have never seen this guy), and you can play spot the city location.
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I think this has been nicely shot. And it was only a matter of time before somebody 'used' Danny, so congrats to Leith on being the first. But there seems a simple flaw in the logic.
If this guy is supposed to love his job so much, why is he doing everything in his power to delay getting there? Surely he'd just pelt down the street, Hoy-like, on his carbon framed racer? Or better still, camp outside the office door all night ... or set up permanent home under his desk.
And are we supposed to believe that after the adrenaline rush of leaping off railings and bunny-hopping between bollards, that he walks through the door of a faceless office block to experience a higher degree of exhilaration from compiling Excel spreadsheets, deleting junk emails and updating his Facebook between status meetings?
Perhaps I've just got the wrong end of the stick.
Nicely shot, though. Liked the music. And Danny is a talented man.
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