It was November 2020 and Covid-19 was preying on the old and the vulnerable. Partial and blanket lockdowns and working from home were still a thing while communities around the country had found a new sense of purpose and unity. We lit candles for nurses.
This new-found sense of community slowly percolated into adland but few matched the warm fuzziness captured by the TVC for Woodie’s which was rolled out in November 2020 by Rothco, now Droga5 Dublin, part of Accenture Song.
The TV ad tells the story of an elderly woman – Mrs. Higgins – who is the matriarch of her community and is loved by her neighbours who also know her for her creaky front gate which is falling off at the hinges. As her neighbours decorate their homes for the festive season, an unexpected character fixes her gate while she is out doing her Christmas shopping, a reflection of how communities across Ireland were looking out for one another in what was a very difficult year for many, particularly the elderly.
It may be five years old and many of the people involved in the campaign’s creation have changed job titles or moved elsewhere, but as this year’s RED C’s research found, “Mrs Higgins ”continues to endure and has become a true Christmas classic. In the spirit of Christmas and in the hope that people look out for their neighbours this year, it’s our Ad of the Week.
And here is a list of the talented folk who made it all happen back in 2020.
Client: Woodie’s
Marketing and Digital Director: Suzanne Quinn
Head of Marketing: Hilda Lyon
Head of Digital Marketing and CRM: Caroline Coughlan
Agency: Rothco
Agency Producer: Conor Hamill
Executive Agency Producer: Jess Derby
Executive Creative Director: Jen Spiers
Creative Director: Shay Madden
Creative Team: Siofra Murdock, Rob Cummins, Elaine Joyce and Shay Madden
Account Director: Emily Lyons
Account Manager: Amy Harrington
Account Executive: Anna Byrne
Strategy: Joe Ronan, Shane O’Leary
Photographer: Alex Sheridan
Production Company: Butter
Director: Zak Emerson
Executive Producer: Michael Duffy
Producer: Glen Collins
Production Coordinator: Erica Gurnee
Director of Photography: Luke Jacobs
Production Designer: Ferdia Murphy
Post House: The Quarry
Sound: Will Farrell, Screen Scene
Producer: Glen Collins
Production Coordinator: Erica Gurnee
Director of Photography: Luke Jacobs
Production Designer: Ferdia Murphy
Post House: The Quarry
Sound: Will Farrell, Screen Scene
Music: David Schweitzer
Digital:Wolfgang Digital
Senior Client Lead: Beth Quigley
Deputy Head of Social: Anna Spyridopoulou
Media: Mindshare
Business Director: Peter Flanagan
Senior Account Manager: Naomi Togher
Digital Performance Manager: Iarla Duignan
Strategy Director: Stephen Power
PR agency: Lindsey Holmes Publicity
Senior Account Manager: Sorcha O’Conner
Director: Lindsey Holmes
