WhatsApp has rolled out a new promotional campaign fronted by celebrities, designed to showcase how its features go beyond traditional SMS. The ads star Adam Brody and Adam Scott as party planners who take different messaging approaches, illustrating how WhatsApp’s enhanced tools, such as group chat alerts, offer advantages over standard text messaging.
“It’s really great that we get to tell our story relying on voices that are loved and who bring relatability and levity to a subject that people go through every day,” said Vivian Odior, WhatsApp’s global head of marketing.
In a humorous ad called “Surprise Party,” the story plays out in split screen to show the difference between a well-run group chat and one gone wrong. On one side, Brody’s surprise party is a success, everyone makes it on time thanks to WhatsApp’s event invite and location update features. On the other hand, Scott’s party falls apart when the crucial location change gets buried under a flood of RSVPs, leaving him with an empty room.
Both Adam Scott and Adam Brody are currently in the spotlight. Next month, Brody will return for the second season of his hit Netflix romantic comedy Nobody Wants This, a role that earned him an Emmy nomination. Meanwhile, Scott also received an Emmy nod for his performance in Apple TV+’s Severance, which is set to come back for a third season.
“Today, WhatsApp announced the launch of its new US brand campaign, ‘It’s Time for WhatsApp,’ highlighting why Americans deserve better than “just okay” group chats. Starring Emmy-nominated actors Adam Scott and Adam Brody, the cinematic campaign plays out in mirrored storylines that reveal the difference between group chats that fall apart and ones that truly work.”, said WhatsApp.
Developed by BBDO New York and directed by Tom Kuntz, the campaign debuted on September 3. It will run through November across TV, digital, social, and out-of-home platforms. WhatsApp is also rolling out additional activations at American college campuses, football games, and the Emmy Awards on September 14.
