Managed Isolation
dentsu New Zealand
Issue 62 | March 2022
Agency
dentsu New Zealand
Creative Team
Executive Creative Director Hadleigh Sinclair Creative Directors Brad Stratton, Rob Longuet Copywriter Gaetano Perry Design lead Marti Panes Julia Designer Steven Nute Junior Designer LaSharn Satherly
Production Team
Production Director Phil Newman Photography Yuki Sato (IDC) Retouching Cameron Jones
Other Credits
Managing Director Murray Streets Vodka Broken Heart Spirits
Date
December 2021
Background
Every year since its inception, dentsu New Zealand had created an alcohol-based product as their client Christmas gift.
Idea
Covid-19 restrictions in New Zealand meant that many dentsu clients could face mandatory self-isolation at some point in the future.
Because the pandemic had seen New Zealanders drink more than ever before, Managed Isolation was a bottle of vodka designed to encourage recipients to consider their own drinking habits and drink in moderation. Each bottle of the finely crafted artisan spirit contained 22 ‘doses’ to help those stuck at home and came with a Managed Isolation Guide.
This broke the 10 days of self-isolation down with specially selected activities and cocktail recipes to ensure maximum sanity and minimal boredom. These included instructions how to make imaginary friends and create spiritual connections with the dead, as well as how to communicate with the outside world via digital billboards (thanks to dentsu’s dynamic digital display system D4).
Results
The gift was received exceptionally well by the agency’s clients.
Our Thoughts
Compare and contrast with the Colenso BBDO Christmas bottle on the previous page. Plenty of dentsu clients did! “Better than Colenso’s”, tweeted one. Even if most recipients did find the idea “clever and amusing”, it too has a serious message – to take it easy. The bitter irony of this piece is that when dentsu created it New Zealand was relatively normal. There is now a red alert as the Omicron variant has made its way through the country’s borders and infection levels rise. More of their clients may be taking the medicine than dentsu ever imagined.