People from all walks of life embark on a pilgrimage into the desert, coming together to worship a giant, ethereal Moustache. It’s a very different, unignorable commercial for men’s health organisation, Movember, created by DDB Group Melbourne, Movember Creative Studio, and Revolver. That’s no mean feat. Movember campaigns have been running for twenty years.

The Mo is Calling features a not-so-secret society of movers, growers, and party-throwers, who make up The Order of Mo, a collective united under the belief that healthier men means a healthier world. The campaign calls on everyone to raise funds asnd save lives.

Movember global director of brand and content, Hugh Miller, stated, “The challenge we set for DDB and our own creative Studio was to embrace our brand’s irreverent DNA – to harness the power of distinctive creative to help us drive more registrations this Movember. We wanted to build a sense of radical inclusivity, belonging to something bigger than yourself, something working for good. The Mo is Calling is bold and fun. Yet it also has serious edge steeped in why we do what we do. It’s everything the Movember brand stands for.”

DDB Melbourne group executive creative director Psembi Kinstan, added, “Movember is a globally iconic brand that needed to recapture the sense of fun and attitude it launched with all those years ago. We are very excited to launch this new platform to help people unite around the mo. Keep an eye out for this big idea to keep growing in the coming months and years…”

DDB Melbourne group creative partner, Giles Watson, stated, “We’ve turned the Movember Mo into the Bat Symbol for uniting men. The Illuminati has the All Seeing Eye, Movember has the Mo. It’s a symbol of unity, and whenever it’s seen, men across the world will know they are never alone. Help and hope are always close by if you follow the Mo! Mo! Mo! Mo!”

This year, there are several ways to answer the call of the Mo. You can – of course – sign up to grow a moustache, you can run or walk 60km for the 60 men suicide takes globally every hour, throw an event, or set up your own challenge.

Fittingly, a long list of people and businesses united around this cause to bring the campaign to life – Revolver director, Matt Devine; English actor, Matt Berry (Toast of London, IT Crowd, What We Do in the Shadows), who voiced the campaign; Mongolian folk metal band, The HU; the Sydney Bus Museum; and Australian comedian and actor, Aaron Gocs.

Matt Berry commented, “I was honoured when the mighty Movember asked me to be the voice for their new TV ad. The work they do to support men’s health has never felt more needed. I encourage everyone to answer the call and sign up to support Movember this year and help stop men from dying too young.”

The campaign will run across the UK, US, Canada, Ireland, NZ and Australia, covering TV, OOH, PR, social, online, and experiential, with each market activating the campaign further over the coming months.

Credits:
Client: Movember 
Global Director of Brand & Content Director: Hugh Miller
Head of Creative: Hannah O’Mahony
Creative Production Manager: Thomas Pike
Head of Campaigns, Global Income: Stephanie Luxmoore
Head of Brand: Sophia Bell
Senior Copywriter: Kevin Lai 

Agency: DDB
Chief Creative Officer: Stephen de Wolf
Group Executive Creative Director: Psembi Kinstan 
Group Creative Partner: Giles Watson 
Senior Art Directors: Charlie Brookes & Josh Brown
Senior Copywriters: Anneliese Sullivan & Sebastian Covino
Head of Craft: Adam Hengstberger
Head of Content Production: Sonia McLaverty
Lead Senior Producer: Tony Le
Senior Producer: Maria Borowski 
Managing Partner: Toby Beaumont 
Business Director: Jenny Thompson, Jiaan Koch
Managing Director, Strategy and Innovation: Leif Stromnes
Planning Director: Chris Regan

Production Company: Revolver
Director: Matt Devine 
Managing Director & Co-Owner: Michael Ritchie
Executive Producer &  Partner: Pip Smart
Executive Producer & Comms: Anna Mannix 
Senior Producer: Serena Paull 
Director of Photography: Jordan Maddocks 
Production Designer: Damien Drew 
Wardrobe: Olivia Simpson 
1st AD: Angus Bolles 
Production Manager: Elaine Roy
Gaffer: Michael Adcock
Grip: James Hopwood 
Russian Arm Op: Beau Sevastos
Drone Pilot: Ken Butti
Drone Op: Hayden Broderick
VTR: Josh Miller 
Sound Recordist: Predrag Malasev
Hair & Make Up: Anastasia Pappas 
Unit Manager: David Treloar      
Storyboards: Dean Mortensen
Casting: Citizen Jane 

Editorial: ARC Edit 
Editor: Dan Lee 
Post Producer: Jess Ryan 

VFX: Heckler 
Executive Creative Director: Jamie Watson 
Head of Production: Amy Jarman
Producers: Coralie Tapper & Jess Walley 
Flame Online: Julian Ford
3D Artists: Rachael Tedesco, Philip Wang, Edward Hassan, Dusan Marjanovic
Compositor: Nitin Amin
Unreal Engine: Maud Chapuis 
Colourist: Ben Eagleton 
IO: Daniel Page

Sound Studio: Heckler Sound
Executive Producer: Bonnie Law
Head of Sound: Dave Robertson
Sound Editor: Nat Joyce
Music Supervision & Licensing: Level Two Music 
Track: Wolf Totem
Artist: The HU

Stills: Photoplay
Photographer: Chris Budgeon
Senior Producer: Ross Colebatch
Retouching: Ross Goddard
Stills Casting: Peta Dermatis @ Studio P

Special thanks to: Heckler, Heckler Sound, Arc Edit, Citizen Jane Casting, Level Two Music, Panavision, Scenes by Dean, Sevaxis Scorpio Ops, Available Light Film, JJ Hopwood, Ecomlocations, Shellharbour Airport, Kiama Council, Sydney Water, Sydney Bus Museum, The Machine Show, Pedle Bikes and Scooters, Sunny Life, Scott Sign, Retriever Towing, Moore Park Towing, PH Auto, Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride, Propco, DT Unit, Unit Base Film Rentals & Matt Berry