David Dobrik has launched a new digital disposable app – Dispo. The new ad campaign features Dobrik as an old man looking through his old disposable photos of him and his friends. The ad was directed by One Hour Photo filmmaker Mark Romanek with the Award Winning Kazu Hiro as the Prosthetic makeup designer.
Dispo mimics disposable camera photography and reignites a nostalgia for when people had to wait for their photos to develop. Dobrik – who appears as an old man – represents this nostalgia – with his character shown looking at the photos and reminiscing on good times. The video’s tagline ‘Live in the Moment’ – also contributes to this theme, referring to a time when people enjoyed events without feeling the need to capture every moment of it on camera.
So far, Dispo has raised $20 million – with Sofia Vergara and The Chainsmokers among its investors. The app – like Clubhouse – is invite-only and has had nearly 3 million downloads a week after its official launch.
David Dobrik shared the origin of his idea to the New York Times saying:
“When I used to go to parties with my friends, they would have disposable cameras all throughout the house, and they’d urge people to take pictures throughout the night. In the morning, they’d collect all the cameras and look back at the footage and be like, ‘What happened last night?’”
Although the app is new in the market, Dispo has created massive hype across social media – with a lot of early adopters eager to get the chance to download the app and get in on the retro photograph experience.