Since 2014, Guinness has been riffing off its famous Made of More strapline, with a platform, Made of Black, created by AMV BBDO and BBDO agencies across Africa, which celebrates unstoppable Africans.

The “understudy” has become the star, and the latest campaign in the series demonstrates why.

Each of the four films is a true story about conquering adversity. All the stories come from the world of football to tie in with Guinness’s sponsorship of sub-Saharan Africa TV network DSTV’s coverage of English Premier League football.

They were directed by Stink’s BAFTA nominated documentary-makers, Wilkins & Maguire, and co-written with Andy Clough and Richard McGrann. They were filmed by Oscar-nominated, James Laxton, and coloured by Alex Bickel, both of whom worked on  Moonlight.

The stories were sourced during a wide-ranging search and cover issues such as gender stereotyping and overcoming disability.

In the first, Kenyan Tabitha, recounts how she became a professional referee in men’s football after her husband’s death, despite overwhelming social pressures not to.

https://youtu.be/pt9S-wKKqzc

In the second film, Nigerian Goodluck tells how his love of football helped to find love, friendship and happiness, despite losing his leg.

https://youtu.be/L6zlg-G_9rs

In the third, Gaelle from Cameroon talks of how she overcame gender role convention to find international success in women’s football.

https://youtu.be/A0py5ganrrc

And in the fourth film, Wisdom from Ghana talks about how, despite suddenly going blind, he pursued his passion for playing football and found a new lease of life through his team.

https://youtu.be/40sjTQwRE1k

AMV BBDO creative directors, Richard McGrann and Andy Clough, commented, “Our focus this year is on celebrating genuine ‘Made of Black’ individuals – those whose unexpected character enriches the world around them. The characters in our stories are united by their love of football and real human truths. We hope they’ll inspire others to show they’re Made of Black too.”

Wilkins & Maguire added, “The challenge with these films was to compress the life journey of these individuals into a small and powerful narrative. Finding their transformation moment was the key; the moment they are no longer victims, but heroes.”

Graham Villiers-Tuthill, Marketing Director Guinness, Africa stated, “We’re really proud of this work and how it brings our brand purpose to life so powerfully for our audiences across the continent. It’s a distinctive take on football from the most distinctive beer in the world.”

The campaign will run for 12 months across sub-Saharan Africa network DSTV, YouTube internationally, Facebook nationally and local TV stations across Africa.

Credits:

Agency: AMV BBDO

Executive Creative Director: Mike Schalit, Alex Grieve & Adrian Rossi

Creative Directors: Andy Clough & Richard McGrann

Copywriters: Richard McGrann, Andy Clough, Robert Wilkins & Leo Maguire

Art Director: Andy Clough

Planners: David Edwards & Tom Claridge

Account Management: Michael Pring, Samantha Morgan & Tom Lawson

Producers: Miles Nathan, Charlie Thacker & Yvonne Clayton

Production Company: Stink Films 

Directors: Robert Wilkins & Leo Maguire (Wilkins & Maguire)

Executive Producer: Jon Chads

Producer: Paz Parasmand

Director of Photography: James Laxton

Steadicam: Chris Vermaak

1st AC: Tim Allan

Audio Post-production: 750 MPH

Online Post-Productions: The Mill

Editor: Peter Norrey

Editing Company : Cut + Run

Editor: Sam Jones @ Cut + Run

Colourist: Alex Bickel @ Color Collective

Service Company Africa: Ginger Ink

Media Agency: Carat

Client: Diageo

Marketing Director, Guinness Africa: Graham Villiers-Tuthill

Content Creation Manager: Jessica Lace

Global Influencer, Advocacy & Sponsorships Manager: Orla Nagle

Planning Manager: Nicola Sargent

Here are some of the earlier ads:

https://vimeo.com/105372633