As you might already know I am a fan of Michel Gondry's work. When I found out about the last ad he directed for the Motorola Razr2, I really liked the Experience site they set to tell about the film and its making of. Quite interesting to listen to Michel Gondry's interview on the briefing and his creative process to make it happen.
What I like about it is : the idea of giving a free ride to an artist to express his/her vision of a brand through his/her art.
It reminds me the surprising buzz of the late 90ies lead by the BMW Film series "The Hire". Remember? BMW gave an opportunity -and budget- to 8 famous directors (John Frankenheimer, Ang Lee, Won Kar-Way, etc) to create a short film -average of 8 minutes- to highlight the performance aspects of various BMW automobiles (you can find here : season one and season two). My favorite being Star (try it here if you don't have the DIVX plugin) directed by Guy Ritchie, with Madonna, a BMW M5 and fascinating driver Clive Owen -BTW wouldn't he make a fantastic James Bond?-. Don't forget to turn the volume of your computer up while watching this film... the scene over the bridge is simply... exquisite!.
Branded content indeed... but, when compared to traditional advertising, this project had (at the time) an innovative approach regarding format, story, and media.
I believe that there is a LOT more to do outside the traditional ad formats. Also there are obviously many ideas to develop by giving willing artists (and I mean young talents as well, naturally!), new ways to share their visions of brands through their art.
Thoughts or comments?
Great ad. Smart marketing. Good work by BMW. I was looking for a seatbelt on the back seat. Hilarious!
Posted by: Herman Najoli | September 29, 2007 at 06:44 AM
Luc - Star is one of my favourite commercials. The idea of giving a free ride to an artist to express his/her vision of a brand through his/her art is amazing. Imagine the implications if brands actually started doing 'consumer-created advertising' as a part of their normal marketing strategy. Getting a genuine 'consumer/user' to express his affinity for a brand by doing something creative or entertaining would be the ultimate leap. On the digital front, I'd like you to check out http://whatinspiresyou.nokia-asia.com/ - great way to showcase mobifilms - would definitely love to hear your thoughts on the same!
Posted by: Arun Rajagopal | September 30, 2007 at 05:35 PM
Hi Herman,
Yes... that film is absolutely breathtaking. Viewer jumps from the feeling of driving the car to the feeling of the passenger. Both comedians and director must have been in phase to achieve this film!
Hey Arun,
I love the idea of letting an artist express his/her vision of a brand. Thanks for the Nokia example... it is insightful and shows that some brands are already ahead in this direction.
Then, I see a difference between "confirmed" artists and "young talents". If the second may appear to be more risky, IMHO it has more chances to inspire an "open minded and creative" image to its consumers. Last but not least, giving the opportunity to "any consumer" to express their vision of a brand leads to even more... proximity. And of course, the challenge being to find the most appropriate way to do it.
Posted by: mindblob | September 30, 2007 at 09:26 PM
I thought these were great ... but probably ahead of their time. I have a feeling that these could be re-run now to even greater impact.
I think you hit the most important point up front. The brief. Sure, have free reign -- but it is still essential to channel your creativity towards an outcome.
Posted by: Gavin Heaton | October 05, 2007 at 01:34 AM
The folks at Fallon Worldwide had tremendous vision and contributed to launching a new movie star -- I do think Owen would make a great Bond! I have a copy of the DVD containing all the 8 shorts as distributed at Fast Company's last Real Time where Fallon spoke about the concept and the execution. Believe it or not, I've watched it numerous times. The frame with Madonna rolling off the car and the collective gasp is priceless!
I'm with Gavin -- creativity is great when it contributes to the right conversation.
Posted by: Valeria Maltoni | October 10, 2007 at 03:12 AM