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 like the first one. Qite funny. And besides, last time I looked I didn't bear much resemblance to a kiwi fruit.
I like the Philips ad a bit better. It's a quicker "a-ha". Although I'm not all that fond of the weird box around the shaver. The Remmington ad feels a bit more see&say to me. But I like the layout and the font choice.
The type treatment in the first ad is awfully clunky - the two halves of the headline don't read as one thought. I think there's too much difference in type size between the two halves. It's trying way to hard to be clever and art director fancy when it's entirely unnecessary.
I prefer the second ad - it's more clever, but the art direction lames out with that unimaginative insert shot of the shaver, which could have been handled far better some other way. And OUCHHHH the last line of the body copy is lame: "...exotic fruit"? Yeesh.
I agree that the Remington ad's headline is "clunky", in that it doesn't read well with the two different font styling. Other than that, it does capture a distinct style for its self and one that is well suited for gentlemen magazines. It's clever on the same level as AXE and TAG advertisement and the whole ad doesn't inundate the reader with copy that doesn
Aaaah! Check out the really scary Philips Flash Animation on their site. It frightens me and I don't even have any Kiwi's.
The Phillips ad makes a bolder statement. It doesn't try to hide what a lot of guys are going to be purchasing the product for, and it's hilarious in it's honesty. It does seem a little out of the ordinary for Phillips, but it's atempting to gain a niche in the market that the more conservative companies will likely shy away from. Taking a calculated leap in a clever way will prove lucrative. I'd bet lefty on it.