Agencies around the world have shown an impressive ability to pivot with the strange moment we found ourselves in this year, but I've wondered sometimes how much of that innovation will endure.
Will ideas born in quarantine last well past the pandemic and help improve society in some way? That's admittedly a high bar, but I don't think it's an insurmountable one.
Today brought a good example with TBWA\Helsinki's Fortum Vipu, which essentially extends door handles in a way that lets you open them with your sleeved forearm rather than the palm of your hand.
Obviously born from the current concerns around exposing yourself to the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, the concept is a simple improvement that would probably be appreciated long after the pandemic—especially if they can figure out a way to use it on bathroom doors.
The agency-designed innovation is also made from postconsumer recycled plastic and produced via 3D printing, which means it's scalable and ecofriendly. This one checks off a lot of boxes.
If you're not familiar with TBWA\Helsinki, you should fix that. I'd argue it's one of the most fascinating offices in the world.
In 2019, for example, the shop made a "Climate Pen" with newspaper client Helsingin Sanomat. The pen's ink was created from carbon emissions, and it was handed out to world leaders at the UN General Assembly meeting. The year prior, the two partnered to place free-press ads along the routes used by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin when they met in Helsinki.
So what will you or your business create during this time that's remembered—and preferably still used—long after we emerge from quarantine?
David Griner
Creative and Innovation Editor, Adweek
David.Griner@Adweek.com
