Tourism Australia today launched “Transformation”, a new advertising campaign being rolled out in 22 countries around the world. Baz Luhrmann, known for his movies Moulin Rouge and William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, was responsible for the television and cinema commercials set in New York, Shanghai and Western Australia.
Original music for the New York commercial, Billabong, was composed by Sydney composer and song writer Elliott Wheeler, from sound and music boutique Nylon Studios.
The music for the New York spot was composed and recorded within a 48 hour timeframe in early September. Film directors Baz Luhrmann and Bruce Hunt called Nylon Studios on a Friday night a month before the launch, asking for a demo to be completed by the following Monday. Elliott composed two pieces on the Saturday before recording them with a string ensemble from Sydney Symphony Orchestra on the Sunday morning.
Once the creative team had chosen one of the tracks further work included the addition of multiple layers of piano tracks to create a a signature sound for the main piano melody, and careful sound engineering and mix by Wayne Connolly. Encouraged by warm response to the soundtrack, Wheeler has written an extended version with lyrics recorded by Abby Dobson from Sydney band Leonardo’s Bride.
“We wanted to use strings, but not on such a scale that we’d be dictating to the audience what they were meant to feel, so in the end we went with a much smaller chamber ensemble. We put a lot of energy into finding a balance between the intimacy expressed in the dialogue, and the grandness seen in the cinematography.”
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I'd go with Sunsilk. Saw the joke coming a mile away, but at least it's far removed from the usual hair-product spot. The Herbal Essence gag might have been cute if it didn't start with the usual hair-product spot.
John Backman
Definitely Sunsilk. I'm not a woman, but I once spoke to one in a bar.
Based on that experience I believe the Sunsilk spot appeals much more to the target group. While the joke is obvious, the execution has a certain self-irony that reflects the value of the product: Out-hairing your friends.
The Herbal Essence one must have been done by a man. No-one else would jump at the opportunity to show a naked woman taking an outdoor shower. And no-one else really thinks it's funny to show a biker with luscious, curly hair - might make for a good ad, though.
rgds/holger
I prefer the Herbal Essence spot. I've never done that hair flip as it's done in the Sunsilk spot and never have seen a woman do that except in a movie or commercial.
The biker guy was more amusing, IMHO. The start of it was lame, and hair care typical, but the twist was much more unexpected - at least on first viewing.
I'm a woman and I think absolutely the opposite, Holger. Seriously. I loved the biker-hair ad when I saw it a few weeks ago and even rewound it (DVRed) to show my husband. The Sunsilk spot was much more sexist, I think.
If the Hairapist was a chick, would it still be sexist?
(ducks)
I'll go with JWT's Sunsilk. Just the fact that it's captioned "Hairapy Case # 48" tells me that this is an idea with legs that could branch out into an entire campaign. The Leo Burnett spot just seems like a one-off gag and nothing more.
Well, at least Herbal Essences stopped with the fake orgasm approach.
Both are making fun of mane-fiends. I do like the therapy one, if only because I once had a hairflipping roommate who at a party mate her hairflipping mane-match. Seriously. Not that cartoony, but those girls were close. I was hiding in a corner with a shaven head giggling into my beer all night as they flipped on and on, it was hairlarious.
I like pseudo-biker babes.
And if I could have long hair like that again, I would take care of my hair like a girl too.
The casting saves the biker spot, as that big guy has fun with his hair-bouncy moment. :)
Sunsilk is the clear winner. I like the competition between the women. It's a hair throwdown. I think women spend a lot of time on their hair for just this reason. They don't want some skank with bouncier hair taking them down in a waiting room. The bounciest hair wins. Of course, injuries will occur in any sport. I think the next ad should involve hair whip training.
I saw the biker punchline coming several miles away. In fact, I remember seeing the same joke on the Benny Hill Show in the 1970s.