The Story Behind One of the Most Beautiful Real Moments in Advertising http://adweek.it/1qpANf4
'That single moment told that entire story in 4 seconds.'
CANNES, France—"Reality, most of the time, sucks."
So says PJ Pereira, who just happens to have created one of the most powerful reality-based ads in advertising history—one being widely honored and adored at this year's Cannes Lions.
Pereira & O'Dell's "Stay Together" campaign for Skype has already won four cyber Lions this week and could take home more trophies when the final category winners are revealed in Cannes on Saturday, but agency co-founder and CCO Pereira admits that the campaign's largest potential obstacle was himself.
Pereira & O'Dell CCO PJ Pereira
"Doing true stories nice and well done is incredibly hard. When someone comes to me with a reality-based idea, it's a 'no' unless you really convince me it's a yes. Nine out of 10 times, I kill the idea before it even gets to the client. But Stay Together was something else entirely."
The campaign initially included three "family portrait" vignettes that featured emotional stories of families and friends connected across long distances through Skype video chat. But then something truly unexpected came along: a fourth spot, one so deeply compelling it practically eclipsed the original ads—not to mention the vast majority of other ads created in the past year.
"We made the first three, and it was great," Pereira recalled, during a chat with Adweek. "We said, 'Now it's time to invite consumers to tell their stories, as well.' And one of them told the most beautiful of them all, and that is the story of Sarah and Paige."
Sarah and Paige are teenage girls who grew up on opposite sides of the world. Despite never having met in person, they spent years chatting on Skype, where they bonded over their shared experience of being born with one arm.
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