My Favourite Fredrik Bond Commercials
This is another in the ACES series of featuring commercial film directors that I admire for their dedicated craftsmanship in bringing creative concepts and storylines to filmic life that enthral viewers, and motivate well-earned accolades from the Advertising Communications industry.
Fredrik Bond
Swedish filmmaker and director of music videos, feature films and commercials, Fredrik Bond from Stockholm, started out as a stills photographer and editor, before enrolling at the Tisch School of the Arts in New York, and embarking on what would prove to be, a highly successful career.
His passionate and unique filmmaking vision soon became evident and highly sought after. He subsequently accrued dozens of British Television and Advertising Awards, and top prizes at the Clios, Cannes Lions, AICP, The Addys, D&AD, and One Show.
1. Thomson Holidays, Simon The Ogre
Advertising Agency: BMB (Beattie McGuinness Bungay), London, UK
Thomson’s multi-award winning ‘Simon The Ogre’ commercial, directed by filmmaker Fredrik Bond, is an insightful analogy about that ‘ogre’ feeling caused by the daily pressure of life and long hours of work without a break.
Simon’s emotive story serves to highlight the Thompson Company’s understanding of how precious holidays are, and their commitment to ensuring ‘restorative’, quality-time experiences of family bonding.
2. LG Electronics G5, The World of Play
Advertising Agency: Energy BBDO, Chicago, USA
Directed by filmmaker Fredrik Bond, and starring actor Jason Statham who, with special effects by ‘The Mill’ Studios, spectacularly plays every character in ‘The World of Play’s’ inspired scenario, is compelling and amusingly entertaining.
The integrated campaign’s TV commercial, featuring a soundtrack song by Jamaican, dancehall reggae artist, ‘Busy Signal’, rapidly motivated a staggering 36 million online views.
3. H&M Retail Clothing Stores, Modern Essentials For Everyone
Advertising Agency: adam&eveDDB, London, UK
Filmed on location in Lisbon, and directed by filmmaker Fredrik Bond, the commercial stars famous football player David Beckham as a trendsetting celebrity, wearing his personal choice of H&M Modern Essentials clothing items.
He notices with some puzzlement, and much amusement to viewers, that everyone he encounters, including children and pets, keep changing their clothes to match his, and some surprisingly it seems, even when he’s wearing nothing but a towel, or maybe even less. Perhaps imitation is the sincerest form of flattery after all.
4. Heineken, The Match
Advertising Agency: Wieden+Kennedy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The Cannes Lion and Clio awards ‘The Match’ commercial, directed by filmmaker Fredrik Bond, centres on an entertaining scenario of an implausible story about the inventive ways a ship’s crew manages not to miss a live broadcast of the UEFA Champions League final.
Involving a challenging six-day production of filming in Turkey and the confines of a cargo ship at sea, the imaginatively cinematic commercial with attention to detail, and a stellar cast, is great fun to view.
5. Guinness, Fridge Magnet
Advertising Agency: IIBBDO, Dublin, Ireland
Directed by filmmaker Fredrik Bond, and filmed in Argentina involving more than 200 Buenos Aires residents participating as ‘movie extras’, the dramatic and amusing chaos caused by a Guinness delivery truck attracting refrigerators like a giant magnet, is a fun scenario about a clever pun on the reversed attraction of a ‘Fridge Magnet’.
The cinematic imagery of ‘flying’ refrigerators are by renowned VFX specialist Kelly Kerby, and the soundtrack features the hit “Dedication” by punk band ‘My Red Cell’ from Barry, South Wales.
6. Heineken, The Wall
Advertising Agency: Publicis, Milan, Italy
Directed by filmmaker Fredrik Bond, this cinematic, science-fiction inspired drama stars Brazilian football player Ronaldinho (Ronaldo de Assis Moreira), facing a ‘wall’ of combative opponents in a futuristic game-play scenario that is highly watchable.