Here is our pick of the latest in video communications from Breast Cancer Awareness Month, to climate change and deforestation to financial crimes turned into rhymes. For more from #CommunicateLens, follow @Communicatemag on Twitter.

Gilette

Gillette worked with video agency Marcel, in collaboration with students of Kourtrajmé’s film school to create ‘Look Like the Man You Really Are,’ a new campaign that takes a fresh look at French men, both in their shaving moments and their daily concerns. In the video, shaving takes on a special dimension: alone in front of the mirror, it becomes a special moment in one’s personal journey that gives strength to face on the rest of the day. The video shows different men looking in the mirror and asking themselves questions, and encouraging themselves, reflecting the ways in which Gillette celebrates men and their life choices. In order to bring it to life on screen with authenticity and relevance, Gillette has made the double choice of youth and artistic talent. A real dialogue has been established between the school land the brand, in order to define together precisely the themes that will resonate into French people lives.Three young directors from the school’s 2018 graduating class reinterpreted both the form and substance of the shaving moment, which is magnified through the use of photographic techniques.

Greenpeace UK

Greenpeace UK  worked with creative agency Mother and production studio Cartoon Saloon to launch ‘There’s a Monster in my Kitchen,’ an animation video that tells the story of a young boy who learns of the heart-breaking reality of rampant deforestation in places like the Amazon from fictional character Jag-wah the jaguar.Jag-wah shows the boy how the industrially produced meat in his kitchen is fuelling the clearance of precious forests and vows to mobilise people to fight the monsters. The character of the jaguar is very apt in that it reminds the audience that at least 600 jaguars, which already risk extinction, were put in danger during the Pantanal fires (the world’s largest wetlands). The fact that the video is made purely through animation and has cartoon-like qualities allows for it have a dark sense of humour and appeal to an even younger generation, which will be responsible for the future of climate change. Adults and young adults both can appreciate the video and learn from it.

“The world’s forests are truly irreplaceable. They’re home to Indigenous Peoples, amazing wildlife and are vital in our fight against the climate crisis. But, as Greenpeace's 'Monster' animation so powerfully shows, these forests are being cleared at a shocking rate to farm more industrial meat and dairy. This is why reducing our meat is so important,” says Paul McCartney commenting on the video.

The video is a sequel to Greenpeace UK’s 2018 Rang Tan, which explored the impacts of palm oil on the Indonesian rainforests and at the time was banned from UK TV screens after being deemed too political by the UK’s advertising approval agency.

Santander

Launched ahead of National Poetry Day on 1 October, financial services company Santander worked with British poets Pam Ayres and Suli Breaks to create a video ‘Santander’s Scam Sonnets’ which raises awareness of investment fraud by turning financial crimes into rhymes. Ayres’ ‘Have you g ot some money?’ and Breaks’ ‘Too good to be true’ incorporate words and phrases from real scam emails, online adverts and telephone calls received by investment fraud victims. The video combines excerpts from the poem, who recite their sonnets to the camera, and written statistics, such as the fact that investment fraud has increased by 27% compared to 2019.

 ‘They are thieving people’s savings, taking everything they’ve got. Especially the older folk who have a pension pot, They do not stalk the foolish, no, that isn’t what they do. They target able, well-researched investors. Jut like you,’ reads out Ayres.

Alongside the video, Santander lead a survey that found that a quarter of Brits have been affected or know someone who’s been affected by an investment scam, with £10,000 lost on average.

“By using the language of the scammers, we aim to help the public spot the familiar words, phrases and signs of investment fraud early before it’s too late,” says Dan Standish, fraud strategy at Santander.

“Fraudsters target and dupe their victims with their clever use of language – professional, confident and reassuring communications that draw you in and make you feel in complete control. Sadly, the reality is far from it,” says Ayres.

Stella McCartney

As part of its annual campaign for breast cancer awareness month, designer Stella McCartney partnered with world-renown photojournalist Linsey Addario and documentary filmmaker Alice Aedy to create ‘A Letter to My Loved Ones,’ a three-minute video featuring different woman bearing their witness and scars  after suffering from breast cancer. Each woman shares a piece of her experience, with some of them wearing Stella McCartney’s Louise Listening and adidas post-mastectomy bra at home during lockdown. The video is intimate, raw, and emotional, with the camera focusing on each woman and their story and appealing to the audiences’ pathos. The women are shown reading out parts of letters they wrote to their loved ones explaining how they felt when they were first  diagnosed with breast cancer, how the diseased made them stronger, more vulnerable, or more aware of their life, and how they feel now having gone through the worst of it. The women offer their wisdom on self-love to their daughters, sisters, friends, mothers. One woman, Lizzi England, shares her journey of giving  birth to her daughter while she undergoes chemo.

‘I was all fine about having the mastectomy until I went into the theatre. It was at that point you sort of realise ‘I’m losing my breast.’ I mourned the loss of my breast,’ says one woman as she is seen holding bare, scarred breast.

“I don’t think people realise how many young women are diagnosed with breast cancer; many of these women were initially even sent away by their GPs. I think it was so hard to hear these stories, but the recurring theme was that every woman was so incredibly optimistic, resilient and really had tried to find a kind of strength in their cancer,” says Addario.

Wayfair

Online store for furniture and décor released a new corporate video celebrating the Human Rights Campaign 2020 Corporate Equality Index, the national benchmarking on corporate policies, practices and benefits pertinent to the LGBTQ+ employees. The video features KeyAnna Schmiedl, Wayfair’s global head of diversity, equality and inclusion, culture and values on how these important initiatives are integral to the company’ integral growth and success. The initiatives range from those for individual employees to employee resource groups that help reach out to the community. The video help convey Wayfair’s good working culture and employer brand management, with the different initiatives being key for internal communications.

‘What I do is make sure that our people here are heard and allowed the opportunity to do their best work. So that in turn we are doing the bet for our customers,’ says Schmiedl, highlighting how having a good working culture is fundamental in achieving good results business-wise.