“So basically, we need to LITERALLY fill an office with water”

“So basically, we need to fill an office with water”

Behind the scenes of Grammarly’s ad — through the eyes of a Creative Producer with a Master’s in Creative Advertising.

Let’s be honest — some briefs start with a bang.
And I’ve lost count of the weirdest things I’ve been asked to answer as a producer.

But this one? This one probably started with:
“Okay, this is going to sound mad… but basically, we need to fill an office with water.”

Grammarly’s latest ad caught my eye and spat questions left, right and centre — the how, the what, the where.

I couldn’t help but wonder:

Where did they start?
How did they get to that end product?

Because beyond the messaging, it’s the execution that got me.

An entire office. Submerged.
Files mid-sink. A man literally swimming with his laptop. Someone else? In an actual boat. I laughed.

The message? Clear.

Grammarly helps you ease the mental load — it makes you feel less like you’re drowning in chaos and more like you’re gliding through it with ease.
I imagine the early conversations between creative and production went something like this:

Creative: “The office needs to LITERALLY be underwater. Like, people swimming with their laptops.”

Production: “Okay… so we need a space we can safely flood. Full immersion.”
Creative: “Think: drowning in distractions and office chaos.”
Production: Insert long pause “Right. Let’s talk tanks, waterproofing, safety protocols... and yes, insurance.”

What I love about this spot is how boldly they went for it.
They could’ve gone CGI.
They didn’t.
No SFX shortcut here — this looks like it took practical thinking, physical builds, and a heap of detailed planning.

Honestly? I’m not sure where I’d start with a brief like this.

You’d figure it out, of course — that’s the job — but still, it begs the question:

📌 For the production people out there —

What would be your first question?
Or better yet, what’s the first thing you’d Google?