Getting engaged. When you see it on TV, it’s all the same. Happy, smiley moments of people down on one knee, twirling in each other’s arms. It’s champagne, rose petals and joyfully diving into water together…on repeat.

But the thing is, that’s not real. And it’s certainly not how Gen Z loves.

So, to make natural diamonds the clear choice for the next generation of those getting engaged we needed to speak their truth.

Enter ‘Worth The Wait.’ A campaign that draws on the real parallels between natural diamonds and love, weaving together a story of what a real relationship takes and underscoring that having one worthy of engagement, like a natural diamond, is worth the wait.

Agency: Arnold
Chief Creative Officer: Sean McBride
SVP, Group Creative Director: Donnell Johnson
CDs: Lea Platz, Doug Harry
Creatives: Amir Farhang, Shannon Murphy, Caroline Murphy, Masataka Kawano, Cassandra Bazelow
Director: Phoebe Arnstein

Who says we only get one love of our life. The truth is, for most of us, we have many loves. Our moms. Our best friends. Our daughters. Our dads.

So we decided to take one of the most iconic taglines of all time and make natural diamonds about more than just putting a ring on it.

But about celebrating all the people we share these amazing, larger than life connections with.

Natural connections, that deserve to be celebrated with natural diamonds.

We cast all real people. So one of the best parts was getting to hear our talent share intimate details about their real relationships. Grab your Kleenex folks. Some of ‘em are tearjerkers.

Agency: Arnold Worldwide
Chief Creative Officer: Sean McBride
SVP, Group Creative Director: Donnell Johnson
Creative Directors: Lea Platz, Doug Harry
Art Director: Doug Harry
Copywriter: Lea Platz
Director: Norman Wong

To anyone who’s ever said “I’ve arrived.”  It’s not true. The journey of becoming you is never finished.

So we decided to position Desert Diamonds as the diamond to celebrate every milestone that makes you, you.

Honoring the people we love and all the moments over a lifetime to make them who they are. One of one. Totally unique individuals. 

Individuals that deserve to be celebrated with diamonds as unique as they are.

Agency: Arnold Worldwide
Chief Creative Officer: Sean McBride
SVP, Group Creative Director: Donnell Johnson
Creative Directors: Lea Platz, Doug Harry
Art Director: Doug Harry
Copywriter: Lea Platz
Designer: Laura Chang
Director: Matt Baron

In a year when attacking gender identity became a political strategy, Citi did something that would forever change how trans and non-binary people are seen.

They became the first US Credit Card Company to give trans and non-binary people the option to update their names on their credit cards to match who they are.

Our campaign, ‘Now that you see me’ was based on the insight that being yourself, and being seen for it, is the beginning of everything; forging relationships, being hired, pursuing dreams…being accepted and respected by mainstream society.

But we didn’t get here on our own. Our trans colleagues at Publicis were our partners every step of the way, guiding our insights and gut checking everything for authenticity - from the brief, to the creative, to client presentations. This team taught us what’s in a name. Everything.

To date over 25,000 names have been changed.

Citi.com/updatemyname

2021 Merit, The One Show, TV & VOD long form single
2021 Merit, The One Show, Integrated Branding Campaign
2021 Webby, Video, Diversity & Inclusion
2021 Webby, Diversity & Inclusion, Advertising Campaigns
2021 Shorty, Best Use Of Branded Content
2021 Shorty, Best LGBTQ Community Engagement
2021 Shorty, Best Use of Short From Video
2021 Shorty, Best in Financial Services 2021 Platinum, 2021 Platinum, Muse Creative Awards, Video, Diversity & Inclusion
2021 Platinum, Muse Creative Awards, Video, TV Ad
2021 Platinum, Muse Creative Awards, Advertising, Newspaper
2021 Platinum, Muse Creative Awards, Integrated Marketing
2021 Gold, Muse Creative Awards, Website, Financial Services
2021 Gold, Muse Creative Awards, Video, Financial Services

Cash back cards love to put people in boxes. You sign up for a card that rewards you for gas or groceries or travel - and then you’re locked in. But what if where you spend the most each month changes? I mean, isn’t that…life? What you’re into - or where you need to spend the most each month - isn’t always the same.

So when Citi came to us with their new card that gives customers 5% cash back where they spend the most monthly - we created a campaign that’s about rewarding you, for being you. But not just one version of you. ALL the versions of you.

To launch the card we went in two directions Citi hadn’t gone in years, celebrity-driven and comedy, partnering with two personalities that captured the you-do-you personality of the card, Rashida Jones and Dan Levy. In just a few months we met their KPI for sign ups and then some.

The X1 is BMW’s entry level sport activity vehicle. Built for thirty-somethings who want their cargo space to come with performance.

The brief called for films that touted all the X1 can hold. But it was a story about how the X1 can make you feel when it’s totally empty that got the most buzz.

2015 Shortlist, The One Show, Automotive category, Special Delivery, BMW

Alexa, find me a Lil Nas concert.

Citi has one of the biggest entertainment platforms in the financial services industry, offering access to 10,000+ live events and exclusive experiences.

The only problem was, most people didn’t know about it.

So we didn't just create an awareness campaign, we built a voice skill to making finding Citi concerts as easy as saying, “Hey Alexa, talk to Citi Entertainment.”

The Citi Entertainment skill was the first voice skill from Citi and first voice skill built in house at Publicis. And the first customer benefit driven voice skill from any financial services company.

We used TV and OLV to help our customers connect with one of the biggest emotional benefits that comes with having a Citi card: access to thousands of concerts and 8000+ sports events.

2020 Silver, Financial Communications Society, Apps & Tools, Citi Entertainment, Citi

A lot of millennials roll the dice and skip renters insurance. Why? They think they don’t have a lot of stuff. But they have more than they realize. Stuff their landlord isn’t responsible for. Stuff that would cost a lot to replace. Stuff, as it turns out, our target is pretty emotionally connected to.

So we took the focus off the policy and put it on all their great stuff. Talking about how much they really have and how not-awesome it would be to have to replace it all without insurance.

From NYC specific subway ads, to a fun board outside an apartment building by the High Line, to social and digital that targeted Millennials by specific interest, we asked everyone to show their stuff some love by protecting it with Allstate. And we did it in a voice they could relate to. “Ugh. Forms.” Was a headline during sign up.

There are only a few things you really need to know when it comes to the iconic BMW 3 Series.

It’s way more affordable than you think, so you’ll never regret buying one.

Programmable memory buttons are to be used at your own risk.

And the 3 Series wins Car and Driver’s 10 Best award. A lot.

On BMW briefs, revamps of existing models mean the identity of the car within BMW’s walls and on the road has already been well established.

Working on the 4 Series, the first-ever of its kind, we were tasked with helping the 4 find its place in the fleet. Giving it an identity and voice, all its own. One driven by pure, unadulterated aesthetics.

I made sure guys weren’t the only ones having fun using the 4’s good looks to their advantage.

In BMW’s lineup, the X5 is known as the leader of the pack. An SUV that takes a commanding stance on the road, dominating whatever crosses its tracks.

So we pitched for the X5 global campaign work with a simple concept that would be universally understood and translate in all BMW’s markets. Respect has stopping power.

While BMW master brand touted performance, luxury and exclusivity - we crafted more relatable stories about the lengths BMW drivers go to keep their Certified Pre-Owned BMWs looking new. Because when it drives and looks like new, you’ll treat it like new.

For the BMW 7 Series global pitch, our global clients wanted a film that would communicate visceral luxury. So we depicted the magnetic pull only a luxury vehicle endowed with equal parts amenities and adrenaline can have and won.

Our North America clients took a different stance. Since new innovations are always launched in the 7 Series first, before making their way to other models, the US wanted to use the 7 Series to make a declaration about where all of BMW was heading. Allowing us to take a refreshing, philosophical tone about the future of BMW at large. Out of the 100’s of radio and film scripts we recorded with Chris Pine over the years, I never heard him be as complimentary of a AVO as he was of this one.

For a brand sometimes known for drivers that are a little selfish on the road [putting it lightly] this social campaign was refreshingly altruistic.

We sent the X1 coast-to-coast, stopping at 12 parks across the US and posting an Instagram photo to BMW's Facebook page.

For every picture liked along our journey, we pledged to donate a dollar back to that location. We easily met our goal of donating $10,000 to each park the X1 visited.

To this day, this is one of the campaigns I’m most proud of, even though I was just a senior writer at the time.

Led by ECD Jeff Huggins, we took a pain reliever existing in a category where everyone was saying the same thing and gave it a voice that set it apart from the rest in a bold way.

Like running ads that led with all the ways you could avoid taking Tylenol in the first place.

“Feel Better” engaged people in conversation about their health. And educated consumers on pain prevention at the expense of suggesting Tylenol as the first line of defense.

2009 Bronze Effie, Feel Better, Tylenol