HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver was returning for its 7th season and we were challenged to come up with a fresh approach for the show’s key art and OOH campaign, which included countless billboards all over Los Angeles, New York City and beyond. The solution? An eye-catching ad featuring the host, John Oliver, as a spry and awkward 15-year-old, zits and all. The hilarious yearbook photo, accompanied by the tagline, “If there’s hope for him, there’s hope for all of us,” not only stops people in their tracks with shocking vulnerability but also establishes a sense of nostalgia for fans. The campaign lightly touches on America’s insecure political climate, without being too on the nose, leaning into John Oliver’s unique and self-deprecating style of humor, and ultimately, in the most relatable way, gives us all hope for the future.

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