This charming film asks people what it means to be a human being and to love one another at a time when it was needed most. Our challenge was to disrupt the stagnant department store category and create an emotional connection with Nordstrom as a brand. While on set our talent, Ibrahim improvised a healing song that ended up being the song we hear in the final film. It was a perfect and beautiful moment that we could not have planned and that would not have happened had we cast anyone else.

The film centers around the unique improvised song about love and humanity. We combined this with an unbroken handheld shot that draws the viewer in, letting them form a relationship with our protagonist in real time. This was all done with the help of our talent, Ibrahim, a musician, poet and instrument-maker from the Republic of the Niger. A non professional actor we scouted at the African-themed bar where he frequently plays with his band, he was the perfect person to carry our message of inclusivity. The film immerses you in the emotion of the song and perfectly showcases Ibrahim’s high-low mix of clothing.

All over the country, department stores are closing with consumers opting for more affordable, convenient and relevant retailers. Digitally native brands have won over shoppers and have left department stores looking uniform, obsolete and stuffy. An Open Mind Is The Best Look is a way to bring Nordstrom’s brand story to life for the first time and help create an emotional connection with their younger, digitally-savvy shopper as well as their more occasional yet highly valuable consumers.

The film was posted organically on Nordstrom’s Facebook and Instagram pages as a newsfeed post in March. It also ran on Nordstrom’s YouTube page, and it garnered 54k views across the three platforms.

The film ran organically across Nordstrom’s Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages and garnered 54k views across the three platforms.