• by Teresa Buyikian , Yesterday

Panera is ready for its closeup in a new spot that “celebrates the creatives that turn its cafes into their own working space.”

Panera’s latest TV spot, “Something Great,” launched during the E! Academy Awards Pre-Show on March 15. The :30 ad, seen here, shows an over-the-shoulder shot of a young woman working on her laptop in a Panera café. A closeup reveals she is writing a screenplay, as a voiceover says, “Sometimes a meal isn’t just a meal -- more than a sandwich, or a free refill.  Sometimes a meal is the time you needed, the time to make something great.” The spot ends with the super “Make our space… yours.”

“We know that so many of our guests come in for a meal but end up staying—to work, to write, to think. Because they know what we know: Panera is a space to make your own,” said Mark Shambura, CMO, Panera, in a release.

The Oscars-timed spot, created by 72andSunny New York, wasn’t just inspired by Hollywood, it used some Tinsel Town talent as well. Colorist Damien Vandercruyssen, who worked on the Oscar-nominated film “Hamnet,” along with the Oscar-winning sound designer for “Zone of Interest,” Johnnie Burn, both worked on the ad.

The ad continues to run this week via Panera’s social channels. The brand has also invited customers to submit their song, movie, screenplay, novel, poster or whatever they’re working on for a chance to win a yearlong Unlimited Sip Club membership. To enter, customers can explain what they’ve been working on via the brand’s contest post or tag the brand in their own post via Instagram or other socials.  The contest runs through March 18.