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.”
Technorati Tags: cars & metal - things that go (ads)
I really like Deutsch LA's Mitsubishi campaign and this spot's a winner too. Hopefully it will help move units off the car lots. You never know with advertising. Look at Chiat/Day's old Nissan - Barbie commercial. Creative as hell, but it didn't help sales. What did perform well were those boring Engineer commercials.
For a lot of people, vehicles aren't just a mode of transportation - they're an extension of your personality (or an extension of your penis if you're middle-aged, male and drive a Porsche).
The fact that a car might have a quadplated conducer inducting phlegmission overosculator wiith tri-tone blinker fluosity doesn't mean that much to me. But if I dig the way it looks and feels, and connect with the aura that is built around it by advertising, word o' mouth and my own conclusions, that's going to sell me more than any lot salesman or convoluted mechanical feature list.
Last year, I got an 2002 Xterra after my old 1994 Mustang blew up in Minneapolis on Christmas Day. How did I decide on an Xterra? I liked the way it looked, liked the way I felt behind the wheel (I realize that there are thousands of engineering innovations and features that added up to my comfort in the driver's seat while I drove over curbs and stuff, but what mattered was how I felt, and not how it got me that way - emotion will beat out logic almost every time in my world), and the clincher - I remembered that they used Stevie Ray Vaughan music in their 2001 campaign. I like Steve Ray. I liked the Xterra. Something clicked. I signed the papers and drove off. And afterward, I found out that it was powerful enough to tow my crippled Mustang 600 miles back home - after, not before. Icing on the cake.
I was also very interested in the Mitsubishi Eclipse last year (the commercials & music helped - natch - without them I wouldn't have ever considered 'em, as the closest dealer is 200 miles away), but decided against it after test-driving one in Fargo - kinda cramped. If I was a half-foot shorter though, I'm sure I would have loved it.
Ahhh... hell. I'm gonna go and do my take on the Woman As Vehicle metaphor thing. If I meet a gal with a groovy personality, and an equally groovy body and taste in music, she's gonna win me over. If I find out later that she also houses an incredibly luxurious and powerful cooter, all the better. Woo-hoo! -- Alternately, if I'm at a party and somebody I just met tries to match me up with a friend of theirs and tells me that she has an incredibly luxurious and powerful cooter... well, let's just say that it's not really the making for a long-term relationship.
What do I mean by all that? I'm not sure, but it's Monday morning and I like the Mitsubishi campaign.
you are making sense to me Clay. Disclaimer: I am not a car-buyer. Being a city-dweller I tend to prefer two-wheelers and public transportation, add to that I never bothered to get a licence, and you might forgive me for only owning one 1968 vespa poplino and one 1987 Peugeot Lacoste.
why the Lacoste? It was cheap, still in good condition, the perfect retro-irony, and small as heck = easy to park in this little small cobbled street city. Also, despite being built on french wine passion and garlic, it does well in cold conditions. [at least as far up north as Stockholm anyway, I wouldn't bring it futher north].
both of my engined toys are an extension of 'fashion' really. Buying a car because it is sleek and sexy is a pretty normal reaction - after all , you'll be cruising in this thing.
Anyone living in areas where there are vast spaces to cover while driving will most probably - like you - buy a car that has the qualities of a perfect lady friend. Good-looking, fun, good taste in music [hahaha] and purring like a cat.
Emotions go a far way in car-advertising.
This is so true.