Brands Go To The Movies
Feature films that capture the imagination of cinema audiences and TV movie channel viewers, past and present, also capture the attention of advertising practitioners for engaging brand communication commercials of inspired movie genre spoofs and parodies.
Here are some of my favourite, movie themed parody commercials, of entertaining viewer engagement.
1. Barilla Al Bronzo, The Lady and The Tramp
Advertising Agency: Publicis, Milan, Italy
Group Chief Creative Officer: Bruno Bertelli
Chief Creative Officers: Cristiana Boccassini, and Mihnea Gheorghiu
Executive Creative Directors: Selim Unlusoy, and Riccardo Fregoso
Creative Directors: Michela Talamona, and Fabrizio Tamagni
Copywriter: Matteo Gemelli
Art Director: Angela Celano
Production Company: BRW Filmland, Milan, Italy
Publicis Milan advertising agency’s “The Lady and The Tramp” commercial for Barilla’s premium Al Bronzo pasta, crafted with bronze-cut dies, was superbly directed by multi award-winning, Belgium filmmaker, Xavier Maurice.
Commemorating the Disney Studio’s 100th Anniversary in 2023, the short-film features a charming, live-action, re-enactment of the animation classic’s, famous spaghetti scene.
The romantic ‘Lady and The Tramp’ interlude, with a cameo appearance by 2 star Michelin Chef, Davide Oldani, highlights Barilla’s premium Al Bronzo brand reinvention of crafted pasta, for the memorable sharing, of those special moments in life.
2. DHL, Bond Car Chase
Advertising Agency: 180 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Executive Creative Director: John Messum
Copywriters: Alex Bolderoff, and Emil Cholich
Art Director: Helen King
Agency Producer: James Southward
Production Company: Smuggler, London, UK
Director of Photography: Linus Sandgren.
Post Production Company: MPC, London, UK
Since Casino Royale, DHL have been responsible for the transport and logistics solutions related to the production of the James Bond film series.
For the 25th, 007-sequel “No Time To Die”, DHL transported the film and stunt equipment from Pinewood Studios in London, to Jamaica, and then to Matera in Southern Italy. From Aston Martins to key props, everything was delivered on time.
Directed by renowned filmmaker Adam Berg, the commercial of a DHL courier delivering a package to James Bond, was filmed in Shanghai, China, with 007 stunt driver Ben Collins behind the wheel of an Aston Martin DB5.
The dramatic scenes of the intrepid DHL delivery-man, who with unfazed diligence, manages to deliver a parcel to James Bond, amidst pyrotechnic car chase episodes, play out to a soundtrack of Carly Simon’s Bond theme, “Nobody Does It Better” from the 1977 “The Spy Who Loved Me” feature film, starring Roger Moore as James Bond.
3. Jeep Gladiator, Groundhog Day
Advertising Agency: Highdive, Chicago, USA
Creative Directors: Mark Gross, and Chad Broude
Art Director: Jorge Pomareda
Copywriters: Pat Burke, and Casey Stern
Agency Producers: Jen Passaniti, and Lindsay Vetter
Production Company: O Positive, Santa Monica, California, USA
Director of Photography: Trent Opaloch
Post Production Company: The Mill, Chicago, USA
High-five Chicago agency’s 2020, Jeep Gladiator Super Bowl commercial, stars actor Bill Murry who reprised his famed 1993 role as meteorologist Phil Connors in the box-office hit, ‘Groundhog Day’.
Filmed just outside Chicago, in Woodstock, the same location as before, the commercial directed by esteemed filmmaker Jim Jenkins, also features a cameo performance by Bill Murry’s brother, Brian Doyle, who also starred in the iconic movie comedy, of being trapped in a recurring time-loop.
Fortunately, in a Jeep Gladiator, new experiences await at the dawn of every ‘Groundhog Day’.
4. CANAL Plus, Spitfire
Advertising Agency: BETC, Paris, France
Executive Creative Director: Stéphane Xiberras
Creative Director: Eric Astorgue
Art Director: Romain Ducos
Copywriter: Chrystel Jung
Agency Producer: Isabelle Menard
Production Company: Insurrection, Paris, France
Post Production Company: Mathematic, Paris, France
Music and Sound Design Studios: Schmooze, Paris, France
Masterly directed by filmmaker Tim Bullock, the hugely enjoyable WWII parody of the hit film ‘Dunkirk’, features Spitfire pilots, who are well past their prime.
The commercial serves as an amusing message for viewers to not postpone watching the big movies currently on offer.
5. 1st For Women Insurance, Top Gun
Advertising Agency: Black River FC, Johannesburg, South Africa
Executive Creative Director: Ahmed Tilly
Creative Director: Suhana Gordhan
Art Director: Kursten Meyer
Copywriter: Verona Singh
Agency Producer: Iolanthe Grobler
Production Company: Velocity Films, Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa
VFX and Animation Studios: BlackGinger, Cape Town, South Africa
Supervisor: Darrin Hofmeyr
Producer: Gabriella Harris
Audio Design and Music Studios: Sterling Sound, Johannesburg, South Africa
It has been statistically-proven beyond any doubt, that women are safer drivers than men. They take fewer risks, make more careful decisions, and because of their lower risk profile, the 1st for Women Insurance Company was founded to offer lower premium policies to women motorists.
Humorous advertising campaign commercials followed about the antics of men drivers, as a tongue-in-cheek justification for their ‘Women 1st’ initiative, of which ‘Top Gun’ is a highlight.
With four weeks of meticulous pre-planning, seven days of filming, and eight weeks of post production, the ‘1st For Women’ parody scenario, inspired by the original ‘Top Gun’ cinema block-buster starring Tom Cruise, was brought to spectacular life, by filmmaker and director, Anton Visser.
6. Evian, Baby Spider-Man
Advertising Agency: BETC, Paris. France
Executive Creative Directors: Remi Babinet, and Filip Nilsson
Production Company: Acne, Stockholm, Sweden
The Evian, ‘Baby Spider-Man’ commercial is part of the celebrated, long-running, and integrated Evian ‘Live Young’ campaign starring babies, that is one of, if not the most viewed advertising campaigns of all time.
Directed by Tomas Skoging, the amusing and excellently crafted baby Superhero commercial motivated 5.4 million media impressions within ten days and went viral even before its official release.
The soundtrack features a remix of the song “Comes the Hotstepper” by French electronic music producer, remixer, singer, and DJ from Reims, known as Yuksek.
7. Chicken Licken Soul Food, The Bootless Bandit Durango
Advertising Agency: Joe Public United, Johannesburg, South Africa
Group Chief Creative Officer: Dr. Pepe Marais
Chief Creative Officer: Xolisa Dyeshan
Creative Director: Claudi Potter
Senior Art Director: Katlego Baaitse
Senior Copywriter: Sarah Forbes
Production Company: Plank Film, Cape Town, South Africa
Director of Photography: Eugenio Galli
Service Production Company: Pigalle Films, Barcelona, Spain
Post Production Studios: Deliverance, Cape Town, South Africa
Directed by filmmaker Peter Pohorsky, and filmed on location in Almeria, Spain, the fully integrated campaign was spearheaded by a series of five 30 sec commercials that were finally edited into one continuous story called, ‘3 Pieces For Durango’.
Set in a fictional town called Harmony, this entertaining ‘Spaghetti Western’ parody of the ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’ box-office hit, with overtones of Quentin Tarantino’s Wild Western ‘Django Unchained’, depicts Durango, with only one boot, strolling through town in search of his soul-destroying missing boot, and longed for ‘inner peace’, of not being called a ‘bootless bandit’.
8. CANAL+, The Bear
Advertising Agency: BETC, Paris, France
Global Creative Director: Stéphane Xiberras
Art Directors: Eric Astorgue, and Julien Schmitt
Copywriter: Jean-christophe Royer
Production Company: Soixante Quinze, Paris, France
Special Effects Studios: Mikros MPC, Paris, France
Sound Production Studios: Gum, Paris, France
Brilliantly directed by filmmaker Matthijs Van Heijningen, ‘The Bear’ is a highly watchable parody of a typical Hollywood Film Director; part creative genius and part control-freak. The reason for the odd, thin shape of the bear, named Paul Bearman, is rewardingly revealed at the end of the commercial.
‘The Bear’ motivated 1.5 million views on YouTube immediately after its first airing. It received worldwide acclaim, won a Cannes Film Craft Grand Prix and became part of French popular culture.