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The Masses submission for a docu campaign built on UGC

The Masses

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The brief

What the work needs and how The Masses answers it.

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Director

Juani Amusategui, who directed Motorola's Power to Empower films with The Masses.

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Work

Real people on their own phones, for Motorola, the International Rescue Committee, Lay's, Quilmes, Dove and more.

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Process

How a brief turns into real stories and finished footage.

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Meet The Masses

Real people, anywhere, on their own phones.

A quick look at how The Masses works, from finding real people around the world to directing them remotely and delivering their footage.

The Masses

The brief

Docu that almost feels lo-fi, sitting right next to UGC.

The brief asks for a docu style that feels close to lo-fi and blends easily with user generated content, in the spirit of this year's World Cup and NBA work.

It's how The Masses already works. They find real people anywhere in the world, the phones in their pockets become the cameras, and a director shapes it all remotely, so the directed footage and the UGC come from the same place.

Why The Masses

What the brief needs, and how they answer it

A docu, almost lo-fi look

Everything starts with real people filming on their own devices, so the texture is honest from the first frame.

UGC that blends in

Their generators shoot the everyday moments and the directed ones on the same phones, so nothing looks dropped in from another shoot.

Real stories at scale

A brief goes out to their network around the world, segmented or open. For Motorola, hundreds of stories came in and twelve were chosen across nine countries.

A director who knows the format

Juani Amusategui has directed project after project with The Masses, holding framing and natural light without putting a crew in the room.

The director

Juani Amusategui

Juani grew up in Patagonia filming home videos on his mom's VHS camcorder, then studied film in Buenos Aires and built his name in Argentina's advertising scene. His work moves between fashion film and storytelling, with a real sense of visual humor.

He's directed a long run of projects with The Masses and is the through line on their real-people work. On Motorola's Power to Empower he directed all twelve films, guiding protagonists remotely across nine countries while local videographers handled the camera.

He can lead a shoot remotely from anywhere or step onto a location with a minimal crew, and a docu piece built on UGC usually needs both.

Juani Amusategui

Work

Work for this brief

MotorolaPower to EmpowerInternational Rescue CommitteeRefugees bring more than they carryLay'sThe Most Epic Watch PartyQuilmesWorld Cup 2022Dove#KeepHerConfidentUnileverDegreeNature ValleyOutdoor InfluencersLife360As Far As The Eye Can SeeVerizonEldersTwisted Tea#LockDown
The power of vibrations
The power of strength
The power of the sea
The power of wellness
The power of rhythm

Projects

Motorola · with WTF, directed by Juani Amusategui

Power to Empower

Motorola's agency asked for real users around the world whose lives the technology had changed. The Masses ran a global search through their own platform, took in hundreds of stories and shortlisted twelve protagonists across Taiwan, Chile, Argentina, the UK, Colombia, India, France, the US and Hong Kong. They did the documentary research and wrote each script, and Juani Amusategui directed all twelve. It ran as twelve two minute films on YouTube.

6 films

Projects

International Rescue Committee

Refugees bring more than they carry

Shot completely remotely, ten days from brief to finish. The Masses interviewed real refugees across six countries and built the film from their own photos and videos, about what they left behind and what they bring to their new homes. Personal footage carries the whole film.

Creator cut

Projects

Lay's

The Most Epic Watch Party

For Lay's FIFA World Cup 26 campaign, The Masses sourced digital creators and remotely directed each one to the agency's look. Strangers ended up as guests at a house party with David Beckham and Steve Carell. The creator cut shows the vertical side of the same shoot.

2 films

Projects

Quilmes

World Cup 2022

When Argentina won the 2022 World Cup, The Masses partnered with Quilmes to capture the moment. Their team filmed thousands of fans celebrating in the streets of the country's main cities, and the spot carries all the passion and unity of that night. It's real fan emotion, caught as it happened, which is the energy this brief is chasing.

#KeepHerCatching
#KeepHerKicking
#KeepHerSwimming

Projects

Dove · with Ogilvy UK

#KeepHerConfident

For Dove's #KeepHerConfident campaign with Ogilvy UK, The Masses sourced, directed and collected real content from girls around the world, each one sharing her own experience with self-confidence in her own words. Real stories and real emotion carry every piece, which is exactly what makes UGC land.

3 films

Projects

Unilever · with Lopez Negrete

Degree

With Lopez Negrete and Unilever, The Masses sourced athletic micro influencers with more than 4,000 followers each, a mixed group who live for sport and training, and built the Degree spot around them. Athletes who already film themselves give the footage its energy.

Projects

Nature Valley

Outdoor Influencers

The Masses found influencers and micro influencers who love the outdoors and live near specific national parks, then sent them out with their Nature Valley bars to post on their own accounts. Real people in real places, posting as themselves.

Projects

Life360

As Far As The Eye Can See

Life360's back-to-school spot is built entirely from real families' footage. A kid waves on the walk to the bus and parents leave a dorm room, with the nerves and pride of letting go right there on camera. It's family video doing the work of a crafted spot.

Projects

Verizon · with The Community

Elders

With The Community, The Masses made this Verizon spot using only real Verizon customers in the US, each one filmed safely at home. The warmth comes from people being themselves in their own homes.

Projects

Twisted Tea · with 360i

#LockDown

For Twisted Tea's #LockDown idea with 360i, The Masses put a call out to generators across the US for people who could pull off big, fun moments at home, from a pickup truck parade float to a slip n slide Zoom call. The chosen creators were directed remotely and filmed everything on their own phones, with as little interference as possible so the fun stayed real.

Process

How it runs

Brief to profile

The creative becomes a casting profile covering who the people are, where they live and what they'd film.

The call goes out

A brief goes out to The Masses generators around the world. Whatever the network can't cover, scouts and micro influencers fill in.

Remote direction

Juani directs people on their own phones, live and remotely, and steps in with a minimal crew wherever a moment needs it.

Delivery

Footage and signed releases arrive together, ready for the edit.

Send the creative and The Masses will come back with the first real stories.

Any profile, any country, real people on their own phones.

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