There’s ‘No Stopping New York’ post-pandemic

New York City was hit fast and hard by the pandemic last March, abruptly shuttering the doors to businesses, restaurants and schools.

But one year later, the city is bouncing back just as quickly as it shut down—and it’s hopeful for the future. 

The Mayor’s Office of New York partnered with SS+K for the campaign “No Stopping New York” to celebrate New Yorkers’ resilient spirit as the city emerges post-pandemic. The campaign spotlights the eight million people living in New York City through live-action photography by photojournalist Brittany Newman.

The creative showcases New York City street life, from small businesses and restaurants, to the public health sector and schoolchildren. The campaign will run in the coming months across TV, digital and OOH in the five boroughs.

“The campaign is a rallying cry of New Yorkers and their attitude towards anyone who said, ‘New York is dead’ or ‘New York is never going to be the same,’” Stevie Archer, executive creative director at SS+K, told Campaign US. “It's a defiant but clear statement about what we're going to do moving forward.”

New York City has naturally been gaining back its pre-pandemic energy as vaccinations tick upwards, said Archer, noting that the creative strategy of the campaign was to “simply capture it.”

SS+K also created Unstoppable Modern, a custom typeface for the campaign to represent the enduring spirit of New York City. The letters resemble I-beams, welded metal joints and the silhouette of the Chrysler building. The slab serif was also inspired by subway tracks.

“We’re pulling from elements of New York City to give it enough presence and distinctiveness to stand up to the imagery that we were putting over it,” Archer said. “This is such a specific moment in time, we wanted there to be something that felt iconic.”

The campaign aims to inspire confidence in New Yorkers that their city will continue to thrive — thanks to them.

“This isn't just a campaign about people feeling better, but actual things that the city of New York is doing to ensure that it's a fairer, more equitable, healthier city and pushing progress forward,” said Archer.