A campaign about app safety, suspicious characters, and smart storytelling.
While Google Play is the original source for apps and games on Android devices, there are now more than 15 alternative app stores competing for user attention. These range from trusted, manufacturer-run stores to lesser-known third-party options that are often less well-policed.
Google Play stands out by prioritising user safety. Every app listed or submitted is screened in advance, helping to block malicious software before it reaches devices.
This campaign, created by David Miami, uses a clever concept to bring that message to life. Set inside a police line-up, a detective and phone-owner study a cast of quirky app characters, trying to identify which one is harbouring malware.
Masters & Savant, in collaboration with Lucan Animation Studio, handled character design, animation, and compositing for the two 37-second hero spots, an 8-second cutdown, and a wide range of supporting deliverables including stills and looping social assets.
Despite the tight turnaround, and with post teams working across time zones, the final result is polished, characterful, and full of charm – a smart, stylised campaign that tells a tech message with warmth and wit.
What the agency said
"Masters & Savant brought so much life to the characters in the Google Play 'Download Apps, Not Traps' project. They came with great ideas, a high level of craft, and worked closely with us every step of the way, always up for solving challenges together. They truly went above and beyond with what they delivered.”
— Sarah Dembkowski & Georgia Taylor, Creative Directors, David Miami
"The final product from our campaign with M&S speaks for itself. We love the quality and craft level of the results. It means a lot more knowing the timeline was a challenge and there were additional asks along the way. With all the pressure of many layers, M&S tackled everything, and our creative level of excellence was never put at risk. Thank you for everything M&S team!”
— Natasha Louckevitch (EP), Este Najera (Sr. Producer), Thiago Zveiter (Producer), David Miami
Play (Google) Global Vice President, Product Marketing, Brand Strategy & Integrated Go-to-Market: Adrienne Lofton Senior Director, Google Play: Chris Iannuccilli Director, A&E: Jackie Titus Head of Global Marketing, Google Play: Albert Cheng Group Lead, Play Brand: Steph Vaky Group Lead, Play Product Manager: Salit Kulla Brand Manager: Izzy Parkinson Creative Lead: Anthony Alvarez Producer: Chloe Scott Sr. Program Manager: Christine Barnowsky Product Marketing Managers: Nisha Nair & Sabrina Benun Social Media Manager: Jasmine Baptiste DAVID Miami Global CCO and partner: Pancho Cassis Global COO: Sylvia Panico Managing Director: Carolina Viera NA CCO: Daniel Lobatón CCO: Edgard Gianesi Executive Creative Director: Jason Wolske Creative Director: Sarah Dembkowski, Georgia Taylor Associate Creative Director: Bruno Reis, Thomas Nitti Copywriting Intern: Eli Buxt Global Chief Strategy Officer: Paula Vampre Head of Strategy: Annie Rowe Strategist: Victoria Aldecocea Head of Production: Brenda Morrison Fell Executive Producer: Natasha Louckevitch Sr. Producer: Esteffania Najera Producer: Thiago Zveiter Director of Business Affairs: Barbara Karalis Business Affairs Manager: Catalina Pena Head of Account Management: Mariana D'Aprile Group Account Director: Gabriella Hellbrugge Account Director: Anik Strimber, Isabella Franco Account Supervisor: Isabella Carrion Account Executive: Laura Saliba, Celia Yuen Global PR Director: Sandra Azedo Social Media manager: Mafe Maceda Social Media content strategist: Andrew Cable Social Media Designer: Valeria Moreno Live Action: Radical Media Director: Conor Byrne EP: Rebecca Niles Head of Production: Andrea McIntyre Producer: Tyler Byrne Director of Photography: Sean Porter Campbell Production Designer: Kai Boydell Animation: Masters & Savant Executive Producer: Roger Smythe Animation Director: Chris Lockhart Senior Producer: Alise Antrobus Animation: Lucan Animation Studio Senior Compositor: Hilton Treves, Graeme Armstrong Original Music: Pickle Music CCO: Alexis Estiz ECD: James Zavaleta Composer: Matt Kerr Producer: Vanessa Lozano Producer: Matt Kerr Sound Design & VoiceOvers: Duotone Audio Group Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Andrew Green Executive Audio-Post Producer: Greg Tiefenbrun Audio-Post Producer: Lou Baron Google Play Offline Credits: Arcade Edit, LA Editor: Paul Martinez, Erwin Fraterman Executive Producer: Adam Becht Director of Operations LA & NY: Megan Dahlman Head of Production, LA: Alexa Berman Senior Producer: Kirsten Thon-Webb Assistant Editor: Garrett McDonald Google Play Finishing: Arcade Edit, NY Partner / EP: Sila Soyer Executive Producer: Fanny Cruz Flame Artist: Tristian Wake GFX: Shaun Sewter Senior Post-Producer: Anna Butler Flame Assistant: Scotty Hardin