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LUNA Bar Stands Up for Equal Pay

It’s no secret that the US women’s national soccer team has had success. They are consistently ranked first in the world, have earned gold medals in 3 of the last 4 Olympics, and won the 2015 World Cup. Not to mention, the 2015 World Cup championship became the most watched soccer game in US history. The men’s team hasn’t earned an Olympic medal since 1904 and did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Despite the women’s superior performance and following, their team is still awarded $31,250 less per player in bonuses than the men’s team. The women have fought the pay gap for years, culminating earlier this year in the team’s gender discrimination lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation.

In response, LUNA Bar made a big statement of support in honor of Equal Pay Day last week. The brand announced they would pay all 23 members of the World Cup team the exact dollar amount to make up the difference in pay. They also ran a campaign for last year’s Equal Pay Day, offering a 20% discount to represent the 20% wage gap for women. Do you think the US Women’s National Team is a good example of LUNA Bar’s cause? Check out the details here: https://www.si.com/soccer/2019/04/02/luna-bar-equal-pay-uswnt-womens-world-cup-bonus

Apple Goes to Work

You know about all of Apple’s products, especially the ones you use in your personal life. The iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirDrop, the list goes on. Apple wants to remind you that they can improve your work life, too. Their new three-minute commercial, titled “Underdogs,” follows the story of a work team scrambling to put together a big presentation – with the help of Apple products, of course. It even features Apple’s circular pizza boxes, used for pizza orders at their café in Apple Park.

Unlike its usually-serious ads, Apple’s latest video is funny, from the rear-end accident that kicks off the story to the team’s struggles with Mike from Finance. It also showcases how work and personal life can intertwine, and how Apple products help the transition. Watch the ad and tell us what you think: https://www.fastcompany.com/90329082/apple-funny-new-underdog-ad-crams-in-nearly-every-product-including-its-pizza-box

Adobe’s Satirical Short Film

Speaking of longer videos, Adobe Creative Cloud certainly got creative with their recently released 11-minute short film. Last year, Adobe asked college students to create and submit movie posters as part of a contest, called #MoviePosterMovie. The winning poster, by Boston University senior Sam West, is titled “In the Time it Takes to Get There.” Based on the poster content, Adobe and comedian/filmmaker Zach Braff brought the short film to life.

The film parodies the life of today’s social media influencer (the heroine must promote a hair tonic that makes her head itch), but sets it in the time period of the 1800’s. Adobe and Apple aren’t the only brands to break the mold of short videos and invest in longer-form content. Mercedes-Benz and Budweiser also recently launched short marketing films. Watch the film and find out more here: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/adobe-parodies-influencers-with-star-studded-short-film-directed-by-zach-br/552012/

The Bud Knight Returns

Bet you didn’t see this one coming. You’ll remember that during the Super Bowl, Bud Light and Game of Thrones teamed up on a commercial that brought the demise of Bud Light’s mascot, the Bud Knight. This weekend during the men’s Final Four games, they brought the Bud Knight back to life in true Game of Thrones fashion. With Bud Light’s medieval kingdom restored, do you think the two brands will continue to collaborate, especially for the show’s upcoming final season? Read on here: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2019/04/08/bud-lights-epic-game-thrones-tie-returns-with-the-resurrection-bud-knight