Working from the brand insight of “WhatsApp is where the New Year begins” the brief was centered around an updated product feature “Group Calls”—which we wanted to highlight in our key markets of Indonesia, India, Nigeria, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States.

We then developed the creative wrapper of “The New Year is Calling” as our campaign idea—highlighting the joy and excitement that comes with connecting with our loved ones on New Year's (and subtly featuring ‘calling’ within the line.)

We didn’t want titles across the footage identifying each country, instead, we wanted the scenes to speak for themselves. Moving between day and night shoots, our approach to color was to capture the essence of each diverse culture, with every frame a testament to the people we represented.

We curated eight distinct looks, each capturing the essence of its locale while preserving the raw authenticity captured in camera. We focused on accentuating vibrant colors, textures, and meticulously refining skin tones to present these people exactly how they truly are.

We leaned into every bead of sweat, every wrinkle, every imperfection. This nicely juxtaposed the rawness of the people against their vibrant landscapes. We decided to introduce a nostalgic warmth by blending in some 16mm film grain, helping to create one cohesive piece.