Ogilvy North America is giving the 61st Chicago International Film Festival a smart, very-Chicago pulse with a new brand platform, “Find Your Genre.”
The idea taps into the way we already talk about our lives online, “main character energy,” “villain arc,” “in my ___ era,” and turns that cultural shorthand into an invitation to see yourself on screen this week as the country’s longest-running film festival kicks off.
Out on the streets, the campaign speaks fluent cinema without a single frame. A citywide OOH system uses genre-coded typography, moody serif suspense, swoopy romance, and bold horror to instantly telegraph tone and emotion at a glance. It’s a love letter to classic film craft that doubles as a wayfinding system for your mood: feeling rom-com? Noir? Coming-of-age? There’s a poster (and a screening) for that. Watch below:
The work spans touchpoints, from transit shelters to on-premises placements and festival merch. And because it wouldn’t be Chicago without a Chicago voice, the local TV and radio spots are narrated by Oscar nominee and hometown favorite Michael Shannon, who gives the lines a gravelly warmth that lands just right.
Ogilvy’s “Find Your Genre” does more than sell tickets; it reframes CIFF as a mirror rather than a museum. Your daily highs and lows are already stories, CIFF is where you go to see them bigger, sharper, and on the big screen. For a city that lives and breathes movies, it’s a pitch-perfect way to usher in year 61.
CREDITS:
BRAND: Chicago International Film Festival
AGENCY: Ogilvy
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