The highly anticipated 2013 Subaru BRZ rear-wheel-drive sports coupe makes its debut in Canada with the launch of a new campaign ‘Scorched,’ and car aficionados and passionate drivers will agree, car porn has never looked so good.
Developed by DDB Canada’s Toronto office, the national campaign features a 60-second online film, ‘Scorched,’ shot with Phantom camera technology, creating extreme slow-motion shots. The suspenseful story unfolds inside a garage where an unknown source of heat melts everything in its path. Amplified by a dubstep track, “Execute” by Excision, the final shot reveals the heat source to be the Subaru BRZ emerging out of a drift, demonstrating that the BRZ handles as incredibly as it looks.
“The Subaru BRZ is a hot car, with a great deal of excitement already surrounding its release,” says Todd Mackie, creative director, DDB Canada. “We wanted to create a visual story to mirror that anticipation while captivating both existing fans and reaching new ones.”
Print, online, ambient, social media, public relations and targeted blogger outreach round out the campaign; each highlighting the sizzling sports coupe. Selectmedia and bloggers also got the opportunity to feed their gear head inside by attending the ‘Scorched’ shoot, to get a rare, behind-the-scenes peek at the Subaru BRZ in action.
“This is Subaru’s first rear-wheel drive sports coupe and with limited quantities available in Canada this year, it’s the most highly anticipated launch in the category,” says Geoff Craig, director of marketing, Subaru Canada. “We challenged DDB to accelerate the buzz and launch the BRZ with creative that’s just as hot as the car.”
A hologram lenticular in The Grid and attention-grabbing creative in national newspapers and magazines reveals the BRZ burning through the pages. Similarly, online advertising burns up computer screens and tablets to unveil the hot new sports car.
The Subaru BRZ turned heads at the 2012 Montreal Grand Prix (June 8-10), with an ambient street-art installation produced by DDB Public Relations. The BRZ was showcased as part of an eye-popping, movie-style set featuring a burnt mailbox, singed bike rack, melted street lamp and a massive 32’ heat-blasted brick wall. The result was a surreal replica of a Montreal street corner that appeared to have been utterly “scorched” by the hot new sports car.
To enhance the installation DDB Public Relations engagedCanadian NFC tech firm, TAPmeTAGS Inc. to provide NFC enabled tags as part of a test-pilot program to encourage consumer interaction onsite. Singed wild postings surrounding the installation encouraged passersby to “tap or snap” using their NFC phones. This directed consumers to a dedicated BRZ landing page where they could learn more about the vehicle, view images and book a test drive.
The Montreal ambient installation is the first of a series, with more coming to major cities across Canada this summer.
Credits:
Advertising Agency: DDB, Toronto, Canada
Creative Directors: Denise Rossetto, Todd Mackie
Associate Creative Directors: Paul Riss, Adam Bailey
Copywriter: Adam Bailey
Art Director: Paul Riss
Agency Producer: Ken Rodger
Account Team: Michael Davidson, Peter Brough, Julia Morris
Media Company: OMD
Production Company: Radke
Director: Common Good
Common Good Creative Directors: Eric Makila, Jamie Webster, Jordan Clarke
Executive Producers Common Good: Marie-Pierre Touré, Stefanie Kouverianos
Executive Producer Radke: Miriana DiQuinzio
Line Producer:Dwight Phipps
Director of Photography:Chris Mably
Editorial: Ross Birchall, Bijou Editorial
VFX: Common Good
VFX Supervisor: Alex Avram
Post-Production: Alter Ego
Colourist: Erin Whipp / Alter Ego
Online Editor: Darren Achim
Music: “Execute” by Excision