Love of Love Stories
The perennial popularity of love stories offer bountiful creative inspiration for film scenarios, that either have the potential to engage viewers emotionally with touching affairs of the heart, or the entertaining potential of raising a laugh instead of a tear, with playful parodies of eccentric passion.
1. Mercedes-Benz, Eternal Love
Advertising Agency: In-house Daimler Creation, Germany
Written and directed by the talented filmmaking duo Dorian & Daniel, graduates of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Stuttgart, the scenario features a young driver travelling through Scotland’s scenic countryside while speaking to his Granddad about his Grandmother, via the enhanced User Experience features, of his Mercedes-Benz.
The narrative is interspersed with cinematic past recollections of eternal love that are heartwarmingly portrayed, and lead to a surprising and uplifting ending.
2. Renault Clio: The French Exchange
Advertising Agency: Publicis Poke, London, UK
Not surprisingly perhaps, the commercial’s LGB theme received some negative viewer reactions. However, in the main, the touching story, directed with laudable sensitivity by filmmaker Frederic Planchon, was widely praised for its empathy.
The analogy of Renault Clio’s, ‘Thirty Years In The Making’ and the touching story about the awakening of a loving relationship between two women, who grew up as best friends, plays out against a resonant soundtrack of ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis, performed by London-based Hejira Band member, Rahel Debebe-Dessalegne.
3. Wrigley’s Extra Gum, The Story of Sarah and Juan
Advertising Agency: Energy BBDO, Chicago, USA
The soundtrack features a stirring new rendition of Elvis Presley’s ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ by American singer/songwriter Haley Reinhart.
The commercial won a Gold Clio Award for use of music in a short film, and a released single of the soundtrack went to Gold in 2017.
Directed by filmmaker Pete Riski, this engaging love story is still being watched after it was released on YouTube a few years ago, and has surpassed the last recorded view-mark of 22 million. Many viewers claim to have watched the commercial several times and each time it brought tears to their eyes.
4. Firestone Tyres, Pick UP
Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett, Chicago, USA
The romantic ‘Pick Up’ commercial is part of Firestone’s advertising campaign depicting unassuming slices of rural Americana in humorous and emotive scenarios, about the care country folk take of maintaining their well-travelled vehicles.
Cinematically directed by Lance Acord, and filmed in Taft, California, a small oil town southwest of Bakersfield in the scenic San Joaquin valley, the engaging narrative is supported by the resonant soundtrack of “True Love Will Find You in the End” by American singer/songwriter Daniel Johnston.
5. Lynx/Axe Male Grooming Products, Susan Glenn
Advertising Agency: Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH), New York, USA
Directed by filmmaker Ringan Ledwidge, with special effects by ‘The Mill’ studios in USA, New York, this surreal, dream-like scenario features movie actor, Kiefer Sutherland.
He reminisces about his school days and Susan Glenn, the girl he had a heartfelt crush on, but regrettably never had the courage to approach.
The integrated campaign was filmed over three days in Los Angeles and set in the eighties with slightly desaturated colour images that recall the tonal values of Polaroid photographs of that time.
The campaign won a Cannes Gold Lion and an Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Award as the most successful digital campaign of 2013.
Many ‘Susan Glenn’ advertising case studies followed that are still often quoted in lessons about brand communication psychographics.
6. Old Spice Captain, Red Sweater
Advertising Agency: Wieden+ Kennedy, Portland, Oregon, USA
‘Red Sweater’, directed by filmmaker Steve Rogers, and Old Spice’s first ever commercial in French with English subtitles, is a completely ‘over-the-top’ love story parody.
Typical of the Old Spice brand and true to form, the scenario is unexpected and entertainingly surprising. Filmed in scenic locations in the South of France, with comedic performances by a great cast, the commercial is bizarrely funny and highly watchable.
7. Samsung Galaxy Smartphone Camera, Onions
Advertising Agency: Mother, London, UK
Directed by filmmaker Sam Hibbart, this Galaxy camera commercial, as the title suggests, involves onions in a scenario of a budding romance that is as unexpected as it is charming.
The commercial features a resonant soundtrack of ‘Something On Your Mind’ by American folk-blues singer, guitarist, and banjo player, Karen J. Dalton.
8. Virgin Atlantic Airways, Love Story
Advertising Agency: BBDO, Johannesburg, South Africa
This multi-award winning classic, voted by Travel Magazine as; ‘The Best International Travel Commercial for a Decade’, is possibly the world’s most viewed airline commercial.
Directed by filmmaker Greg Grey, Virgin Airway’s ‘Love Story’, took viewers by complete surprise with its amusing ending.
Shots Magazine, in their 100th anniversary issue, rated ‘Love Story’ as; ‘One of the best commercials of all time’.