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STEVE SKIBBA - COPYWRITER

steveskibba@gmail.com

  • Work
  • MEET
  • Places and More
  • CONTACT

MERCK #inventingforlife

Merck has created medicines for the world’s most challenging diseases. But most people didn’t recognize its contributions to human well-being. 

Our strategy: reframe Merck as an inventor. Because invention is most commonly associated with technology, we expanded the definition to include life-saving medicines. 

This campaign won Gold at the MM&M Awards (“A big idea and great creative execution” said one judge) and was also shortlisted at the New York Festivals Global Awards.

The campaign ran on social media as well as in high-profile publications such as TIME, Fortune and Forbes. I wrote the tagline “Inventing For Life”, which is now Merck’s Official Global tagline. 

I believe pharma advertising is due for a re-invention, and that a massive amount of creative potential exists in this growing category.

ADIDAS

Adidas created the PureBOOST DPR, a shoe designed specifically for nighttime street running crews. For these crews, the unexpected, the surprising, the dangerous —it’s all part of the run. This campaign authentically captured the essence of street running in a raw and real way, with the film generating over 4 million views and thousands of shares in just two weeks.

MICHELIN: DIGITAL OOH

Michelin Tires provide the utmost safety under any conditions. But how do you deliver this message to audiences across the nation where the weather can be vastly different?

By placing a digital outdoor board in Times Square, where 50 million visitors a year from all around the country gather in one place.

Partnering with The Weather Channel, this Times Square spectacular pulled in real-time weather data from hundreds of cities and towns, triggering images of school busses driving in those locations, safely protected with the Cannes-winning “Michelin Man Arm” graphic.

BROOKLYN FILM FESTIVAL

The Brooklyn Film Festival celebrates independent films shot by new directors who take on controversial subjects, often with an experimental approach. This campaign promoted the Festival by contrasting  the renegade approach of Brooklyn filmmakers with the big budget, big studio approach of Hollywood. 

DIET COKE UK

ABSOLUT: THE NIGHT APP

ABSOLUT has championed underground art, music and culture since it’s introduction. Following the cue of DJs, musicians and artists who promote secret, surprise events, we devised an app for ABSOLUT  with a unique feature: it only functioned after dark, alerting people to what’s hot that night.

NIKE

The brief for this spot was “create controversy.” Looks like it worked. It was recognized as “Spot of the Month” by Shoot Magazine and a One Show Finalist.

AT&T NCAA SPONSORSHIP

This 360 campaign was based on a simple premise: fans could rely on the power of AT&T’s 4G Network to stream the game, whether at work, school, or anywhere else.

ACCENTURE | B2B

Accenture is a worldwide  consulting firm, providing  strategy, consulting, digital, technology & operations services to most companies on the Fortune Global 500 list, and is TBWA/NY’s largest global client. 

As lead writer on the account for 4 1/2 years, I mastered the art of distilling complex B-to-B topics into quick, understandable messaging, producing work in every medium: digital, OOH, TV, print and even augmented reality. 

This work ran in 35 countries and 14 languages, and resulted in Accenture’s Senior Director of Global Image to be awarded Marketer of the Year by the BMA, as well as winning Ad Age’s Best B-to-B Digital Campaign.

MITSUBISHI: SUPERBOWL TV | DIGITAL

The First Cross-Platform Super Bowl Campaign. Pioneering the synergies between TV and Digital—at a time when many companies weren’t even putting urls on their commercials.

NISSAN

It’s not often you get to write a Global Tag Line and develop an entirely new positioning for an international company. But while working at Chiat-Day LA, I did.

Situation: Nissan had redesigned every model, outfitting them with new technological features. Plus, they were expanding their lineup, with the sub-compact Micra, stylish family sedans, and even their first hybrids.

But Nissan was best known for performance cars: the 240Z, the 280Z, and the 300Z. So the positioning had to reflect their performance roots, while encouraging consumers to shift their perception of the brand.

Shift_ accomplished it all. The underscore suggested technology, that Nissan was entering a new era, and set up the alternating supers—while also speaking to the adrenaline rush you expect when you shift your sports car into high gear.

The Results: Amazing for the crowded automotive category. Watch the case study and see for yourself.

CANNES: PLATON

At this year’s Cannes Festival, Chris Garbutt, TBWA’s Global CCO, chaired a talk with the legendary photographer Platon. This film promoted the event and served as an introduction to the presentation.

MITSUBISHI

As CD on the Mitsubishi Motors account, I lead the group responsible for developing multiple campaigns for the entire brand and all new model launches. Here are just a few of the highlights.

NEW ZEALAND TOURISM

New Zealand’s geographic isolation makes it unlike anywhere else on Earth. Our insight: visiting New Zealand was as close as you could come to visiting another planet without leaving the planet.

GMC TRUCKS

HEALTHCARE

Health and wellness are vital. Our lives depend on it.

I’ve worked on a number of pharma campaigns for Merck, Braeburn Pharmaceuticals, xTandi (Pfizer), Trulicity (Eli Lilly), Olumiant (Pfizer), Johnson & Johnson (HCP surgical products), and the launch of Jeuveau (a prescription Botox competitor).

But I’ve also been fortunate to develop campaigns for some of the country’s most respected hospital systems.

Here are some of the highlights.

eHARMONY UK

The eHarmony online dating service uses sophisticated, scientific algorithms to bring people together. For the company’s expansion into Europe, we took a humorous, reverse approach: A campaign based on famous failed matches, replaced by more compatible ones.

TOYOTA

MITSUBISHI: EVO 8

With a 0-60 time of under 4.5 seconds, the Mitsubishi Evolution 8 is one of the fastest cars ever built, and was based on input from professional rally racers. It’s incredible performance  inspired members of the “tuner” community to tweak their cars to EVO 8 specs, and led to legions of devoted fans in the racing community.

Financial Services

I have a lot of experience working for banks and financial services clients, including BB&T (now Truist), Chase, Visa, Mastercard, Addicus Investors, Island Federal Credit Union, Glendale Bank, Ascend Federal Credit Union, and the Loan Machine, winning six Financial Communications Society Awards for my work in the category.

MITSUBISHI: FAST AND FURIOUS

Horsepower. Speed. Adrenaline. Styling. The cars found in the high energy, high octane Fast & Furious film franchise have them all. Which made Mitsubishi cars a natural fit for one of the films.  This commercial was created for FF2, and arguably one of the most conceptual movie tie-in spots ever.

REAL ESTATE

Real estate is a competitive category, with planned resort communities all trying to differentiate themselves from one another.

I have quite a bit of experience in launching and branding multiple real estate developments. The two campaigns featured here were both very successful, with properties selling out, some before the homes were even built.

V-72S MUSIC + SOUND DESIGN

The side hustle that became a real hustle: a full-fledged Commercial Music Post Production company that I started.

PHARMA REINVENTED

Pharma and healthcare advertising is growing at an exponential rate. But the way medicines and treatments are marketed hasn’t kept pace. There’s a vast amount of creative white space yet to explored. 

Co-branded initiatives, experiential campaigns, and interactive and connected approaches that leverage technology are just a few of the ways pharma advertising can evolve.

Here are two pharma/healthcare efforts that used these techniques to push the creative boundaries far beyond the expected. I strongly believe there’s a wealth of opportunities to develop effective healthcare advertising that transcends conventions.

The Print Vault

A collection of prior award winners.

DIGITAL | SOCIAL | DIRECT MAIL | BROCHURES | RETAIL

I’ve been fortunate to produce some very high-profile award-winning work.

But behind every Times Square Digital Board, or Superbowl Cross-Platform Campaign there’s a mountain of lower funnel creative. In fact, 95% of what I’ve written during my career are the essential, but unsung, pieces that are all in a day’s work for a writer.

Then there’s digital. I’ve been working in the digital space for more than 20 years, and have written hundreds of Facebook Posts, Emails, Mobile Banners, Instagram Posts, Banner Ads— anything and everything digital. If I posted all of it, my website would be as big as Amazon.com.

I always consider every assignment, no matter how small, as an opportunity to do something that breaks through and gets results. Throwing myself into it with all the full-throttle creativity and craft I bring to every project.

UX WRITING | LANDING PAGES

Early in my career, I worked at Wieden+Kennedy on Microsoft. Being a tech company, they were first movers in the digital space, creating websites despite the bandwidth limitations of the time. So I’ve been writing websites for quite some time, staying current with the emerging developments and the interactivity we now expect from today’s sites. Here are just a few recent examples of landing pages and websites I’ve written for clients in different categories.

TIFFIN RVS

Tiffin Motorhomes manufactures the nation’s finest RVs. Every one is hand-crafted from the ground up, using materials typically found in luxury homes, not vehicles, and are limited editions. Through a combination of digital video, social media, in-store posters, and direct mail brochures, the work featured here helped propel Tiffin to the #3 position in the RV category— and led to the company being acquired by Thor Industries for $300 Million.

BLOGS | CONTENT

Over 800+ blogs and counting. Long before blogs became a standard part of the media mix for performance marketing and content marketing, I’ve been writing them across all client verticals—including Healthcare, Technology, Education, Automotive, and many more. I researched topics, interviewed Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), and collaborated cross-functionally with marketing team leads to ensure every blog reflected the brand’s tone of voice, and was SEO-Optimized. To increase engagement, all of these were supported by banner ads, and social media posts, and linked to targeted emails promoting them. Here are just a few recent examples.

RECOMMENDATION

MERCK #inventingforlife

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ADIDAS

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MICHELIN: DIGITAL OOH

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BROOKLYN FILM FESTIVAL

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DIET COKE UK

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ABSOLUT: THE NIGHT APP

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NIKE

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AT&T NCAA SPONSORSHIP

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ACCENTURE | B2B

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MITSUBISHI: SUPERBOWL TV | DIGITAL

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NISSAN

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CANNES: PLATON

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MITSUBISHI

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NEW ZEALAND TOURISM

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GMC TRUCKS

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HEALTHCARE

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eHARMONY UK

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TOYOTA

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MITSUBISHI: EVO 8

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Financial Services

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MITSUBISHI: FAST AND FURIOUS

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REAL ESTATE

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V-72S MUSIC + SOUND DESIGN

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PHARMA REINVENTED

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The Print Vault

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DIGITAL | SOCIAL | DIRECT MAIL | BROCHURES | RETAIL

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UX WRITING | LANDING PAGES

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TIFFIN RVS

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BLOGS | CONTENT

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RECOMMENDATION

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