When the first signs of a PPE shortage appeared, I got together with Amine Arezki, Ph.D., an Autonomous Systems expert in Germany, and Justin Nussbaum, Ph.D., the founder and CEO of an innovative 3D printing startup in Tennessee, and within days, designed and released a 3D printable mask that works with ANY 3D printer, anywhere.
In its first two weeks:
The site received 11,000+ visits
Thousands of masks were downloaded, and—as of this writing—
It was the subject of over 140 written articles, and
It’s currently in use on five continents
All achieved with ZERO media spend
The mask is reusable, sanitizable, and can be printed in different sizes.
Its innovative Filter Pod insert is flexible enough to work with a variety of filtering media found at home.
We also created a new, see-through design to aid with hearing-impaired patients.
'A Mask For All' was born out of having a common enemy. It goes to show that great things can happen when you combine creativity, passion, vision, technology, and a resourceful group of people with the willingness to jump in and pull it off.
If you can print and donate additional masks, know someone who can, have a suggestion, or need masks, please email AMaskForAll@gmail.com.
We are all in this together and every bit helps.
Sometimes we are just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. This project took over four years to complete. It started long before I came to GTB by an enlightened and driven group of people. Collectively, they poured their talent, passion, and sometimes own money, into making it happen. I know how that feels. I remember being there. Make no mistake, all credit belong to them. I’m just a mere passenger on this amazing mat’s journey.
More that 46 million people in Brazil have some type of liability. For a large number of them, accessibility is hindered by the lack of access ramps on sidewalks.
GTB Brazil, took the ubiquitous car mat already present in all Ford Ecosports and give it a whole new function. It made it so it could function as an easy-to-use ramp that could conveniently travel on the back of a wheelchair.
By adding a microchip that communicates with the user’s phone via Bluetooth, Ford’s City Solutions team could work with local officials to identify places where ramps were needed each time a mat was used.
By sending a strong message about independence and autonomy of disabled people, the mat is a true manifestation of Ford’s ongoing mission to bring smart mobility to a smart world.
Company: GTB/WPP
Role: Global Chief Creative Officer (the passenger)
“This film is a big thank you for all that truckers do for people. Often, they do not even realize it. The film is 100% focused on our target audience but has the potential to thrill everyone through its story and aesthetics.” ~ Rodrigo Strozenberg, Creative Director at GTB Brazil.
To bring ‘GEARS’ to life, ECD Vico Benevides and GTB Brazil teamed up with animation director Bruno Monteiro and director Paulo Garcia, co-founder and chief creative of Zombie Studio.
Agency: GTB/WPP
Role: Global Chief Creative Officer
For one important day, Ford could see the future — or so we made people believe.
One week before the 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race, we created a Twitter account and tweeted every possible scenario that could happen. During the live race, we deleted everything that did not occur, leaving only the real events. Then we made the account public and tweeted about Ford’s astonishing predictive skills.
The message: with Ford’s predictive technology, nothing is unpredictable.
Agency: GTB/WPP
Role: Global Chief Creative Officer
To put the Ford Ranger Black Edition to the test, we took it to the darkest and toughest place on Earth: the small town of Longyearbyen on the island of Svalbard, the Arctic circle’s northernmost settlement.
The people of this community know darkness better than any other people in the world, as they spend over 110 days of the year living in constant darkness.
Who better to test the Ford Ranger Black Edition than the drivers who know how tough darkness can really be?
Agency: GTB/WPP
Role: Global Chief Creative Officer
For decades, fans have customized Ford Mustangs wanting to make their own a one-of-a-kind. However, the one thing they love the most, the iconic Pony badge, was always off-limits; until now.
With the online Pony Personaliser, for the first time ever, owners could design their very own, one-of-a-kind Mustang badge and put them where they belong, on the front of their cars, and on hoodies, hats, T-shirts, mugs, and more. It even came with its on desk stand.
And, because we wanted a platform fueled by social reward, we celebrated the best creations by featuring them in our advertising on a hyper-targeted multi-channel national roll out.
Company: GTB/WPP
Role: Global Chief Creative Officer
Ford’s SafeCap is a life-saving device designed to keep truck drivers awake at the wheel.
The cap is equipped with sensors that monitor the driver’s head movements. If the sensors detect motions that could indicate drowsiness or inattentiveness, the cap triggers an alert to warn the driver to get off the road.
SafeCap is available for purchase at Ford dealerships throughout Brazil and was recently included in the Wired to Wear exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, IL.
Agency: GTB/WPP
Role: Global Chief Creative Officer
A new initiative from Ford of Italy and GTB Roma that aims to make automotive innovation as inclusive as possible.
'Feel The View' is a new device, that when installed on a car window, is able to encode landscapes seen from the road, allowing visually impaired people to experience the Italian countryside with the tips of their fingers.
Company: GTB/WPP
Role: Global Chief Creative Officer
Most sports have a Hall of Fame, but none had a hall of fame honoring the people that make it all possible, the fans. Until now.
We worked alongside Ford, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the NASCAR Hall of Fame to do just that. While most brands were busy creating spots for this year's Super Bowl, we were busy making a difference in people’s lives.
This multi-year integration between Ford, dealers, and business and media partners culminates with the creation of a physical Ford Hall of Fans inside the Pro Football and NASCAR halls of fame that is bound to redefine how sports marketing partnerships are measured.
Company: GTB/WPP
Role: Global Chief Creative Officer
The fastest growing segment in the US auto market is Compact SUVs. The last thing people needed was yet another to choose from. The problem? Ford was introducing one for the first time ever and had to get on to people’s lists and into their hearts fast. So we started before vehicles were even available by asking a blind question:“What’s that thing you’ve always wanted to try for the first time? And thousands responded. That’s when we got busy, making people’s first-evers happen with the First-Ever EcoSport.
Watch the series on EllenTube. Millions of people already have.
The Olympic Games is a moment when we all root for the same team, something that seems a bit lost these days.
So, when it came time to launch the all-new Ford Expedition with seating for eight, we took the opportunity to feature the stories of inspiring people around America, including the Cowgirls of Color, Amaiya and Mohammed Zafar, Dallas Big D Band, Dotan Negrin, the Utah Junior Grizzlies, and Bridge Lacrosse Dallas.
People who are made better because of each other and whose daily lives are a true reflection of: "We're better together than we are apart."
Company: GTB/WPP
Role: Global Chief Creative Officer
How do you win over the most hostile environment known to brands?
Here’s one way.
Company: TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Role: Creative Director
What do you get when you put together Nissan, Playstation and Gran Turismo?... the biggest real-life Cinderella story going on on TV; of course.
We created a reality TV show that takes the top GT gamers in America and pits them against each other in a game from virtual to reality. You read that right, one day you are a gamer, some short months later you are racing on the 24 hours of Dubai, for Nissan!
With more than 400,000 entries on Season Two alone, the show is a hit and so are the Nismo Athletes.
In a true testament to the magnitude of this idea, GT Academy winners are being groomed for F1.
Enjoy the trailer and the Season 2 Case Study.
Company: TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Role: Creative Director
College and fraternities, they go together just like Monday night and football.
When the turn came to redefine a long standing partnership between ESPN and Nissan, I felt my team had a chance at creating not just a campaign but a franchise of its own.
And so we did, with the Heisman House, a fraternity made up of some of NFL’s all time greats, the Heisman Trophy winners.
Nissan’s Heisman House has become a part of the fabric of college football and such a piece of sports pop culture that even Barack Obama got in the game.
And, ESPN ended up doing a very cool prime time TV special on it.
Enjoy the films.
Company: TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Role: Executive Creative Director
The campaign for the Versa Note is all about connecting you to the things you love. So when it came to doing something on Facebook, we decided to show people how they’re connected by the things they love. Because friends + passions are what makes us, well, us.
Company: TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Role: Creative Director
The Versa Note is the car that gives you more of what you love. So, when it came time for its launch, we thought, what better place to do it than through the place everyone goes to get more of the stuff they love, Amazon.com. So, we created a landmark collaboration with Amazon to be the very first car sold through it.
The media attention was instantaneous. When we turned our attention to its delivery, we knew we had to do it just the way Amazon does it, in the biggest boxes Amazon had ever made.
However, we made a plan to create an internet phenomenon around the delivery. During the shoot we left the box on the street for a whole day waiting for some curious person to snap a pic. Reddit user Listrophy was the first, and she posted the street pic to the site. The picture just took off and showed up on the front pages of newspapers in over 50 countries across Asia, Europe, Australia and even Africa.
But, there’s something else we did, we left Nissan’s logo out of it, so people would start asking, What’s in the box? And this started its own meme.
We then released the reveal video. And we were news, again. Here's an infographic of the journey of Nissan's biggest ever viral hit.
And, oh yes, that Seinfeld thing did happen too.
Company: TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Role: Creative Director
What if everything run on gas?
Company: TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Role: Creative Director
The Nissan Rogue with available Safety Shield Technologies helps keep you safe on the road. Now the only thing left to fear is your imagination.
Company: TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Role: Creative Director
Company: TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Role: Creative Director
A competitor released a Vine showing their car going 0-60 in 6 seconds, the exact length of a Vine.
What they did't know is that we have a car that goes from 0-60 in 2.7 seconds. They found out the next day.
Company: TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Role: Creative Director
For its flagship sedan launch, Infiniti Global needed a campaign that captured iconic driving settings and worked across several market regions. We aimed to create something drivers from different countries—and cultures—could identify with.
Company: CP+B
Role: Creative Director / Art Director
Apparently, not far.
B2B that stands out from the fray.
Company: Team One
Role: Art Director
Working with the Sweetshop and Director Mr. Hide we put together a visually driven pitch that outlined a 360º campaign. The following is what came of it and though, as freelancers, my partner and I did not have the privilege to see the project through delivery, a debt of gratitude goes out to ECD Mike McKay, CD Andrew Christou, ACD Art Director Sean Farrell, the passionate team at Saatchi LA and Toyota USA for bringing our vision to life and making “Harmony between man, nature and machine” fantastic.
Though inspiring, the brief read like a typical automotive strategy. So, naturally, we had to ignore it.
You see, at the time, the country was at the height of the ongoing depression. Wall Street had flown the coup with billions of tax payers’ money, unemployment was hitting numbers not seen in 40 years and the news around global warming and environment were, well, you know. The country needed another car ad like it needed a hole in the head. We needed a campaign that would put a smile on people’s faces and make them feel good about driving. For us, it was “happy” or bust.
Along the process, my partner moved on to another project, so I pitched my good friend and a super creative, Simon Mainwaring and Saatchi was on board. Simon jumped right on the “happy” bandwagon and with precious little time to go before the big meeting we came up with the big idea, “Harmony.”
The spots quickly climbed to #1 on Creativity and topped Nielsen’s “Top 10 Most-Liked New Ads.”
Social media allowed Prius lovers everywhere to make “Harmony between man, nature and machine” come to life.
The Prius story continued through a great site experience built by EVB and Laika Entertainment House. It won a FWA Site Of The Day.
Company: Saatchi & Saatchi
Role: Associate Creative Director / AD
One of my things is to always look for an opportunity for earned media. In the case of the Nissan Rogue launch, we needed to come up with something fitting of the car, it’s called Rogue for heaven’s sake.
So we teamed up with media darling car ride company UBER to give an unsuspecting passenger a total adrenaline ride unlike he’s ever had. We told ourselves, it’s one thing to be picked up on an Uber. It’s another to be picked up on a Rogue.
After watching the online piece, people then clicked though to a Facebook competition page with the reveal video.
Company: TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Role: Creative Director
Company: Team One
Role: Art Director
Company: Fallon
Role: Art Director
It was a familiar question coming from the other end of line. BBDO New York needed a hand on an assignment; this time for our client, DirecTV.
The account was on its way out and this was to be the last piece of creative from BBDO: a handful of deals and “3-months-everything-up-the-wazoo-for-free” offers, jammed into 30 seconds that nobody wanted to touch with a ten foot pole.
So, of course, we said yes.
Unbeknownst to the public, Time Warner was in the midst of a flurry of cable acquisitions that would make it the biggest cable company in the market while secretly switching cable providers on a staggering number of subscribers.
This was the nail on the coffin on a long list of customer service abuse cable subscribers had to suffer.
One thing was obvious: “Nobody should have to live with cable”.
An Emmy Award soon followed, along with $3.5MM in incremental production revenue through funds diverted back from the new agency. They weren’t too happy.
Company: BBDO
Role: Creative Director
What do you do when you get handed a B2B assignment? You give it some tough love, of course.
Company: TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Role: Creative Director
Company: BBDO
Role: Creative Director
Company: TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Role: Creative Director
Company: Fabrica
Role: Creative Director
Company: TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Role: Creative Director
They asked for an email blast, we gave them a full-blown social program.
Three artists, three driving modes, six weeks of prizes, 17,000 designs created, and one new piece of business for TBWA.
To support this campaign, we created four launch films and a website where users could create their own designs for a chance to win a Nissan Juke wrapped in it.
Company: TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Role: Creative Director
Company: Fabrica
Role: Creative Director
Company: Fallon
Role: Art Director
Company: BBDO
Role: Creative Director
A father and daughter's scenic drive takes a turn for the worse when they get caught in a heavy rainstorm. However, instead of turning around and heading home, they're able to keep going thanks to the Nissan Pathfinder's features; allowing them to go on an adventure of a lifetime where they conquer the elements and pick up some friends along the way.
Company: TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Role: Creative Director
Company: TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Role: Creative Director
Company: BBDO
Role: Art Director
A long, long time ago, me and some friends had a little fun behind the lens.
Company: BBDO / Self
Role: Director