#story #viral #Valentines #Everyones #milk #beer #stand
#Admit it, you happened to be shopping at a big box grocery store when they played a song about an abandoned pea in crisis rice. Then you heard it the next day, and then during the radio ad… And all in all, this ad is very nice! And very different from everything advertised lately! There was no way not to look for the creators of the song “Abandoned” in the “Great Viral”! We couldn’t help but ask who sang the lyrics to the hit greeting for the abandoned on Valentine’s Day.
“It can be said that the popularity of “Abandoned” exceeded even our wildest expectations,” the creative director of the Human advertising agency, Alexander Bratimirov, tells me. “We never believed that a song about a few lonely products in a supermarket could move so many people. The project became the most talked about ad of the year. Hundreds of thousands of views, comments and shares later, we realized that our message had reached the hearts of the Bulgarians. Many famous people also liked, commented and shared – they even continue to do so without us asking them. I think this ad filled a hunger for meaning in people”.
“Abandoned” is the Big Viral on social networks
Photo: We Are Human
The idea was born in the Human team in November 2023. When it is presented to the client, he literally “falls in love” with it and eagerly awaits its realization and launch.
“The field of retail is very ‘fertile’ for all kinds of campaigns, and that’s exactly why it’s very difficult. There are so many directions in which a creative can go, and the line of communication of “Abandoned” seemed absolutely perfect to us. The goal of each brand is to connect emotionally with the customer and that’s exactly what we recognized, that’s what ignited us. And the holiday is great. We didn’t need any time to discuss or think. We just immediately said YES. People who work or visit supermarkets know that abandoned products are everyday, so we have the wonderful opportunity to speak to the audience through this very metaphor. After all, we are driven by emotions and tastes, it defines us, it profiles us, and we consider the differences between us to be the most valuable thing we have. And precisely because of this diversity, we believe in the positive ending, that there is a “right” person for everyone. I think we succeeded in conveying the idea without looking at hurt and suffering people. We only saw the only “organic” product – the abandoned onion. In fact, this campaign is a continuation of our overall concept of non-standard communication, which does not speak directly about products, but above all about people and emotions”, says Miroslava Georgieva, Director of Marketing and Advertising of the client company.
“It could be said that this is the true story of thousands of products dumped in strange places around the world’s supermarkets”.
The Human team chooses this line for one main reason:
Among all the couples in love, there are also lonely people
“With our client, we wanted to say that ‘sooner or later everyone finds their person’. Single people are much less likely to be noticed around Valentine’s Day with all the fuss about roses and bears. So we decided to do it for them!”
The secret to the success of such type of projects is simple – you need to see “the heart put into them”, says Bratimirov.
“That’s exactly what we did. There’s hardly a person in the agency who didn’t work on this project – including designers, copywriters, accounts, etc. Instead of listing people individually, I’d like to give credit to all of them collectively. As for the song – we did trials, maybe with at least 20 people, before we chose the right voice. It was Georgi Kostadinov, known to people from a big singing reality show”.
Alexander Bratimirov believes that every person has experienced a similar plot – to be milk at the beer stand.
“We’ve all had a moment when we felt out of place, lonely and sad. I’ve been there too. And perhaps the biggest lesson is that when you meet your person, you’ll know it. I I felt 8 years ago (I hope I’m not wrong with the number of years) that he would get angry with me,” says Alexander.
He himself has been part of the advertising environment for more than 5 years. The initial mission was to create an advertising agency in Bulgaria that would work at a global level.
“So far we are doing well – we already have a number of awards from domestic and international festivals, including the only Cannes Lions nomination for an independent Bulgarian agency in the last 8 years. For those who don’t know what this is – something like the Oscars of advertising”
The Human advertising agency has a number of awards from domestic and international festivals, including the only Cannes Lions nomination for an independent Bulgarian agency for the last 8 years. For those who don’t know what that is – kind of like the Oscars of advertising
Photo: We Are Human
Being a creative director is a complex profession
You must be a constant source of ideas. What inspires Alexander is the desire to seek and develop the creative potential in others.
“That’s why I’m happy that there is so much (potential) in the people around me. As for inspiration – I think it’s a bit overrated in advertising. After all, this is our job and if we rely on one inspiration to get it done, we probably have business model issues”
The world of digital advertising… in his words is the main one we live in.
“Is there another world already? Don’t we all fall asleep with a phone from which we can hear tiktok clips? Otherwise I feel great, but in reality I have no other choice – if we want to be heard, we have to speak where there is someone to speak to us hears”.
He notes that in recent years the advertising business has undergone a gigantic change. We’re being bombarded with a wave of “content” that seems designed more to fill holes and “get something out there” than to make sense and create an emotional connection with the brand, he says.
“I think people are fed up with that, and I think it’s showing more and more. People are looking for meaning in brands, looking for values that are similar to their own. They’re looking for a little bit more than a post that says ‘good morning friends’ over a picture with a happy family”.
Therefore, the values for Human are the creation not of advertisements, but of projects that people want to see. Projects that change or that make you think.
The Human team
Photo: We Are Human
“That’s why we named ourselves Human – we put people at the center of everything we do”, we also reveal the story behind the name of the agency.
Bratimirov also emphasizes that native advertising is definitely the new trend that is being observed. Logically – people don’t want to see only a product advertisement. They also want to see more personalized, more meaningful messages, thoughtful of the environment in which they are placed.
TV, radio, print, online media – what is the winning formula for the client?
“The winning formula is the good idea. No matter how much money you pour into media, if the end product doesn’t work, what if more people see it?”
He is adamant that Bulgaria is at the forefront of global advertising in terms of talent, but in terms of self-confidence, it is the exact opposite.
“I think that advertisers in Bulgaria need to trust each other a little more, respect each other a little more, and our profession, and everything will be fine.”
He believed in himself enough to leave television and enter the advertising industry.
“I walked away from a secure, orderly job and into total chaos. I’m very happy I did”
The formula for successful advertising is “to have a good insight” or more precisely:
“To say to yourself ‘this is very true’ after seeing her
I think that remains the most important thing in advertising, no matter how times change.”
And his personal recipe for success is to not give up until it’s the way he envisions it.
For anyone who likes the abandoned pea ad, Alexander says:
Thanks! And if you happen to be single, you know – sooner or later everyone finds their person
