This campaign by Amsterdam agency, ACE, for recruitment agency, YoungCapital, is as ageist as it gets. It plays into what is apparently a Gen Z stereotype that Boomers are frustrating in the workplace because they are slow. Gen Z, the campaign assumes, have “boundless energy and digital nous”.

The campaign, Boost Your Boomer, leads with a surreal film, that presents a solution to power up Boomers’ supposed lack of productivity and restore intergenerational harmony in the office. That solution is a new energy drink called BOOOMER, derived from Gen Z’s donated bodily fluids. The spot, directed by Hamlet director, Angelo Cerisara, is a heady – and rather ugly – blend of body-horror and deadpan comedy.     

The agency’s vision to go beyond traditional brand awareness campaigns (but not traditional bias) has created BOOOMER as Young Capital’s limited-edition energy beverage – a real product (albeit featuring more conventional ingredients). The film is meant to be a comic reflection of the frustrations and frictions of cross-generational working – as well as a reminder to YoungCapital’s Gen Z audience that Boomer colleagues need a little help. That cliché may also demonstrate that advertising agencies’ obsession with employing youth needs to be reconsidered.

The campaign aims to reaffirm YoungCapital’s position as the ally to young talent at work by mocking those who are older.

Deni Barisic, head of brands at YoungCapital, stated, “Every generation complains about young people, but in my nine years at YoungCapital, I’ve never seen it happen as much as I do now. The idea that young people don’t want to work is really nonsense. Of course, this generation views work differently – the world has changed drastically for them. For example, where you could once buy a house on a single salary, these days starters struggle even with two average incomes. This forces young people to view work differently, and they are working more than ever. With this campaign, we give that young energy a stage – a positive counter-narrative to all the complaining.”

Rogier de Bruin, executive creative director at ACE, added, “I have been working with YoungCapital for nearly eight years, and I love that we are always pushing boundaries. This campaign marks a new phase for the brand, as we are using original products and services to make an impact. For BOOOMer Energy Drink, young people donate their energy to help older people keep up a bit. It’s a drink for the workplace designed to encourage better cooperation. There is only one youth employment agency in the Netherlands that could pull this off.”

Angelo Cerisara, Director, Hamlet, stated, “Finding the right tone of voice for an idea like this means finding the sweet spot between fashion, awkwardness, horror and coolness. Those are not often vibes that coexist in the same film. So it made sense to go for a Y2K Cronenbergian fashion techno musical. Big shoutout to the ACE creatives for letting me dive into something so unconventional and exciting. I’ve loved every second of it.”

The campaign will run across social media channels, print, outdoor, including an influencer campaign in The Netherlands. As part of the campaign, 150,000 “Gen Z infused” BOOOMer energy drink cans have been produced.

Credits
Client: YoungCapital
Agency: ACE
Executive Creative Director:Rogier De Bruin
Creative Team: Pia Mader, Koen de Boer, Rogier Smalhout
Design: Vincent Sapthu, Tova Andersson, Pepijn Zuiderveld
Strategy: Harm Balvers, Jhelisa Panfred
Account Lead:Max de Vries
Agency Producer: Marga Bierema
Project Lead: Judith Kampman
Social Creative: Mitzi Wiebring, Thom Knobel
Social Content Producer: Sjoerd Joosten
Social Edits: Maarten Valstar
Motion: Bas Mooij, Lennard Nijenhuis
PR: Finn Dekker, Simone Slagboom

Production Company: HAMLET
Director: Angelo Cerisara
Photographer: Stig De Block
Executive Producers: Ruben Goots, Jason Felstead, Mathias Kerner
Producer: Jeroen Berx
Post-Producer: Basile van der Straten
Director of Photography: Zack Spiger
Casting Director: Louis Pons
Casting Agency: Le Quartier
Styling: Diana Theys & Naomi Noo, Farah El Bastani
Make-up: Madonna Iremashvili
Production Design: Birch
Editor: Chris Coupland
Editing Company: Shift
Grade: Tim Smith @ Rascal London
Photo Retouching: Sebastien Galtier
Graphic Motion Design: Bas Mooij
Music: Xavier Andrew
Sound Design: Gregory Caron
Sound Post-Production: Niels den Otter @Audentity
VFX Company: Astro Pirata
Image Post-Production Cy: Frames
Online Editors: Lieven Dooms, Robin Depraeter