A man’s epic longboard ride is a metaphor for life in LG’s striking ‘Life’s Good’ manifesto spot

TBWA\Chiat\Day NY and director Nicolai Fuglsig’s 90-second spot makes the point that there’s an optimist in of all of us

Published On
Sep 28, 2023
A middle-aged man smiling as he rides a longboard down a suburban street

Editor's Pick

LG’s new global “Life’s Good” campaign gets a sweeping 90-second manifesto courtesy of TBWA\Chiat\Day New York and director Nicolai Fuglsig, who use a middle-aged man’s longboard ride as a metaphor for choosing optimism in life.

The spot opens with a closeup of the man moving through a suburban neighborhood. It’s not clear at first that he’s on a longboard—he seems to be floating through space, which gives the spot an ethereal feeling as the camera circles around him. 

A voiceover, which sounds like a child’s voice, begins: “Optimism is a funny thing. It’s not what you’d call an easy path. Life is too full of chaos and setbacks to feel optimistic.” And indeed, the man seems unsure of himself at first. But he has a growing confidence, which really blossoms in the second half of the film.

 

Dudes on longboards has been a shorthand for happiness and optimism ever since Nathan Apodaca’s 2020 viral TikTok video, where he drank Ocean Spray cranberry juice and cruised to work to the sounds of Fleetwood Mac. LG’s message is about choosing that kind of optimism when times are hard—a message of warmth in the often-cold consumer electronics category.

Launched in August 2023, the “Life’s Good” campaign is meant to highlight LG’s brand philosophy and values—focused around human-centered innovation, as captured in the brand’s smile logo. The new work was also inspired by research suggesting fewer people consider themselves optimistic today.

“There’s a magic that unfolds when you embrace optimism. LG harnesses optimism to create its products that make everyday life better, and as a brand LG champions optimism as the path forward everywhere it can,” said Walt Connelly, executive creative director at TBWA\Chiat\Day NY. “We knew, now more than ever, that it was important to share LG’s belief in optimism and how that message is giving meaning to ‘Life’s Good.’ We chose a beautifully crafted brand film with some unexpected casting as the first step in letting consumers in on this.”

The spot follows the rollout of a new visual identity and design that launched last month from Wolff Olins. The campaign also includes an influencer campaign with Willow Smith, Cody Simpson, Park Jenny, and social and digital OOH ads that further the message that there’s an optimist inside us all.

Credits

Date
Sep 28, 2023
Client :
LG
Agency :
TBWA/Chiat/Day-New York
Senior Vice President & Head of Global Marketing :
Jeongseok Lee
Vice President Global Marketing :
Hyoeun Kim
Brand Strategy Lead :
Daewon Kong
Brand Strategy Lead :
DK Seo
Brand Strategy :
Insun Oh
Brand Strategy :
Jay Choi
Brand Experience :
Francisco Shin
Chief Executive Officer :
Nancy Reyes
Chief Creative Officer :
Amy Ferguson
Chief Strategy Officer :
James Sowden
Managing Director :
Shannon Nunn
Head of Production :
John Doris
Director Marketing & Communications :
Carly Wengrover
Executive Creative Director :
Walt Connelly
Associate Creative Director :
Tom Madden
Associate Creative Director :
Morgan Hinds-Shorland
Executive Producer / Associate Director of Production :
Tina Lam
Associate Integrated Producer :
Tara Keith
Director of Business Affairs :
Thalia Tsouros
Senior Business Affairs Manager :
Anne-Camille Charpié
Senior Talent Manager :
Angela Iovelli
Ex. Strategy Director :
Yin Chung
Ex. Strategy Director :
Anthony Hamelle
Strategy Director :
Elliot Carter
Senior Strategist :
Gabriel Ornelas
Strategist :
Gina Kim
Global Business Lead :
Melissa Hill
Business Director :
Allie Lightcap
Senior Business Manager :
Surina Mehta
Business Manager :
Riyad Alam
Production Company :
MJZ
Director :
Nicolai Fuglsig
President/Executive Producer :
David Zander
Executive Producer :
Noah Goldsmith
Producer :
Karen O'Brien
Director of Photography :
Rodrigo Prieto
Production Design :
Jamie Vickers
Stunt Coordinator :
George Cottle
Stunt Driver :
Robert Nagle
Wardrobe Stylist :
Jennifer Johnson
Production Manager :
Daria Tarlow
Production Coordinator :
Jonathan Gilcrest
Editor :
CARTEL
Managing Director :
Lauren Bleiweiss
Executive Producer :
Evyn Bruce
Editor :
Adam Robinson
Assistant :
Nick Bruce
Producer :
Linden Carty
VFX :
Parliament
VFX Supervisor :
Phil Crowe
Creative Lead :
Jade Kim
Creative Lead :
Dan Fine
Creative Lead :
Sohee Lim
Creative Lead :
Seon Crawford
Creative Lead :
Gerard Andal
Creative Lead :
Kyle Andal
Creative Lead :
Lenz Kol
Creative Lead :
Navid Sanati
Creative Lead :
Taner Besen
Creative Lead :
James Cudahy
Creative Lead :
Grant Connor
Creative Lead :
Dan Adams
Creative Lead :
Dhruv Shankar
Creative Lead :
John McIntosh
Creative Lead :
James Clyne
Production Team :
Lexi Stearn
Production Team :
Anna Kravtsov
Production Team :
Kate Matos
Music :
Walker
Managing Director :
Sara Matarazzo
Senior Producer :
Dottie Scharr
Senior Producer :
Neha Ewell
Associate Producer :
Samantha Zirin
Business Affairs Manager :
Deanna Romine
Mix :
Q Department
Color :
Company 3
Colorist :
Tim Masick
Head of Production :
Kevin Breheny
Producer :
Ryan Moncrief
Color Assistant :
Stephen Winterhalter
Color Assistant :
Quinn Wright

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