HERE TO STAY

TitleHERE TO STAY
BrandZALANDO
Product/ServiceZALANDO
Category A03. Casting
Entrant ANORAK Berlin, GERMANY
Idea Creation ANOMALY Berlin, GERMANY
Production ANORAK Berlin, GERMANY
Post Production METAL London, UNITED KINGDOM
Post Production 2 BLACK KITE STUDIOS LTD London, UNITED KINGDOM
Post Production 3 MERMADE SOUND GMBH Berlin, GERMANY
Credits
Name Company Position
Simon Owen Anomaly CEO & Partner
Veit Moeller Anomaly Executive Creative Director
Amanda Feve Anomaly Chief Strategy Officer
David Barton Anomaly Business Director
Joanna Hirst Anomaly Account Director
Elli Pfahler Anomaly Project Managers
Gabriele Gumu Anomaly Project Managers
Katrin Kaiser Anomaly Senior Producer
Clara Vincent Anomaly Strategy Director
Matt Bunting Anomaly Communications Strategy Director
Sebastian Lyman Anomaly Creative Director
Karin Reineke Anomaly Art Directors:
Blaz Verhnjak Anomaly Art Directors:
Manon Gicqueau Anomaly Jr Art Director
Omar Khairy Anomaly Copywriters
Lukas Rohde Anomaly Copywriters
Terence Neale ANORAK Film Director
Emilie Badenhorst ANORAK Film Co-Director
Christiane Dressler ANORAK Film Executive Producer:
Toni Jaschke ANORAK Film Producer
Rozanne Rocha-Gray Romance Films Producer
Adam Bentel ANORAK Cinematographer
Melodie Preel ANORAK Film Cinematographer (France)
Diana Olifiro ANORAK Film Cinematographer (UK)
Wendy Fredriksson ANORAK Art Director:
Sarah Meitel ANORAK Casting
Nohmad Casting ANORAK Casting
Kyra Sophie (Germany) ANORAK Casting
Holli Bennett (Disco Creatives) SA ANORAK Casting
Emma Backman ANORAK Editor
Wenke Kleine-Benne Mermade Sound Sound Designer
Ralph Rijks Zalando SE VP Global Marketing
Anja Weist Zalando SE Head of Global Marketing
Andre Lourenco Zalando SE Senior Global Marketing Manager
Darius Gross Zalando SE Lead Global Marketing Production
Paul Dombek Zalando SE Senior Global Marketing Production Manager
Karla Stratmann Zalando SE Global Marketing Production Manager
Abi Bashorun Zalando SE Global Marketing Production Manager
Lydia Gries Zalando SE Head of Creative Direction
Lena Schaefer Zalando SE Lead Art Director
Marco di Stefano Zalando SE Art Director
Natalie Wills Zalando SE Director Global Social Media, PR and Influencer Marketing
Alexandra Dröner Zalando SE Lead Global Social Media Strategy
Maja Karlsson Zalando SE Lead Global Consumer PR
Mista Strange - Composer

Write a short summary of what happens in the film

Fashion has become about much more than just looks. Modern consumers increasingly expect fashion to align with what they believe in, redefining what true style really is. We wanted to foster a dialogue on core topics such as sustainability, diversity, inclusion and women’s empowerment, to encourage Europeans to wear their values on their sleeve. “Here to Stay” is a rallying cry for progress in the face of prejudice, discrimination, and closed-mindedness. Our values are not “just a phase”. And they never will be. Amid the destruction of the pandemic, a unique sense of unity has been seen. Incredible human resilience led to a resurgence of a strong community spirit and gave rise to a new/adjusted set of values. With consumers more than ever valuing and choosing brands with purpose, Zalando wanted to talk about the values the company shares with its European audience as part of its Spring/Summer campaign.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

The topics of diversity, equity & inclusivity are still not accepted in all European cultures. Despite our “Here To Stay” message’s lack of acceptance in some key markets, Zalando stayed true to its values and beliefs, which led to the campaign being censored and taken off air in Poland - one of Zalando’s biggest markets - due to their strict legislation around same sex relationships.

Tell the jury about the casting process.

Our values-based campaign required an authentic approach to casting to truly resonate. For this reason, we picked people like Mista Strange, the UK’s first openly queer rapper, body positivity advocate, Yolisa Mqoco or differently abled model and influencer Luc Bruyere. Each cast member, who are real life advocates for their causes, appear in their natural environments. Radical authenticity, with an edge. Our heroes were portrayed naturally, yet elevated through cinematic and iconic depictions. Their real lives were distilled to graphical vignettes that spoke to not only who they are, but what they believe in.