John st. - "john st 20th anniversary: Minecraft edition"

john st.

john st. Toronto, Canada

Awards

3067

Brand: John st.
Country: Canada

Advertiser: john st.

Title	john st 20th anniversary: Minecraft edition
Brief	In 2021, advertising agency john st. turned 20 years old. Which was big news. But so was a never-ending Canadian pandemic lockdown (the world’s longest), which made throwing a proper birthday rager next to impossible. So how in the world would we party together? By building a new world. In Minecraft.We created a 1:1 replica of the john st. office down to every detail – from the entryway fan that blows way too much, to the office dog that rides the elevator. On the big day, we surprised john st.’ers with a server address that transported them to our 20th anniversary party. The event had it all – in-game quests, a rooftop bar, a Hall of Fame of the agency’s greatest work, a Twitch livestream to guide attendees, and even a rooftop fireworks show.john st.’s 20th anniversary was the hottest ad party of the year, garnering national and international press. And not only did our digital bash give everyone a chance to (legally) celebrate the agency’s birthday together, we were able to immortalize the office we all love forever. In Minecraft.
Agency	john st.
Campaign	john st. 20th anniversary: Minecraft edition
Advertiser	john st.
Brand	John st.
Date of First Broadcast/Publication	2021 / 8
Business Sector	Advertising & Communication
Story	The Eiffel Tower. Big Ben. The Great Pyramid of Giza. 172 John St. What do these structures have in common? Well, they have all been recreated in painstaking detail in the massively popular world-building game Minecraft. As part of its 20th anniversary celebration, Toronto agency john st. recreated its office right down to the very last detail—including its distinctive 650-pound concrete reception bench and the staff’s favourite elevator-riding dog, Doug. And with large get-togethers still discouraged, this Minecraft site also became the site of a virtual hang to mark the agency’s milestone anniversary. Yes, they had an office party in Minecraft. “Our location has been very important to us – we’re named john st. after all,” said CEO Stephanie Hurst. “The experiences we’ve shared here – from sneaking chocolates from the reception desk to the random pigeons who like to visit the first floor – have helped form who we are over the past 20 years.” The virtual recreation was made by Gamefruitpulp, a Toronto gamer and YouTuber who spent several years creating the ambitious Building Toronto Project, a 1:1 recreation of the city within Minecraft that includes instantly recognizable recreations of well-known buildings such as the Fairmont Royal York Hotel and the Flatiron Building. Agency leaders kept the Minecraft version of john st. under wraps until July 23 (the agency’s official opening date), when it opened its doors for a virtual get-together to celebrate the agency’s milestone anniversary. For some staff members who were hired during the pandemic, it was their first time seeing the agency “in person.” The online space was unveiled during the Friday Breakfast all-staff meeting and staff were then given the day to explore the space and explore various quests in teams.
Media Type	Gaming
Length	98 seconds
Post Production	Alter Ego
Chief Creative Officer	Cher Campbell
Creative Director	Jordan Cohen
Creative Director	Cam Boyd
Associate Creative Director	Marc Levesque
Copywriter	Marc Levesque
Associate Creative Director	Dan Cantelon
Art Director	Dan Cantelon
Art Director	Shirley Xu Wang
Copywriter	Marly Dichter
Production Company Producer	Aimee DeParolis
Production Company Producer	Cas Binnington
Production Company Producer	Matthew DeWaal
Gaming Consultant	Harris Boyd
Production Company	Gamefruitpulp
Editor	Nicole Sison
Editor	Peter Guzda
Executive Producer	Hilda Pereira
Production Company Producer	Andrew Tavares
Colorist	Patrick Samaniego