My Favourite Tomas Skoging Commercials
This is another addition to the globally popular ACES series of featuring commercial film directors that I admire for bringing creative concepts and storylines to filmic life that enthrall viewers.
Acknowledgements by the Advertising Communication industry, with accolades and international awards for their exemplary filmmaking craftsmanship, are hard-won and well deserved.
Tomas Skoging
In 1996 Swedish Graphic Designer and Filmmaker Tomas Skoging and three friends, founded the renowned Acne Studios; a creative collective focused on graphic design, advertising, cinematography, and film production.
Tomas’ enterprising initiative advanced his noteworthy talent internationally to become one of Sweden’s most sought after commercial filmmakers and directors.
His filmic storytelling expertise, superb production planning and art direction, and impressionable casting performances, have garnered impressive accolades that include Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show, CLIOS and Epica Awards.
1. Volvo Polestar 2, The Human Car
Advertising Agency: Acne, Stockholm, Sweden
Volvo’s all-electric Polestar 2, it will become the first automotive brand in the world with a Google-based, human machine interface (HMI) application system that includes Google Assistant, Google Maps, and Google Play.
Tomas Skoging directed this night-time, fun-filled escapade by a Dad and his tech-savvy daughter, featuring the built in Android system’s voice command capabilities of the ‘smart’ Polestar 2.
2. Evian, Baby Spider-Man
Advertising Agency: BETC, Paris. France
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.
3. Volvo Turbo Truck, Cash Machine
Advertising Agency: Forsman & Bodenfors, New York, USA
Directed by Tomas Skoging, the amusing commercial stars actor Walter Samuels in a sterling performance as trucker Bob, who feels like a millionaire and lives it up accordingly, thanks to saving so much money with Volvo Trucks’ new fuel efficient, turbo compound engine.
The soundtrack features Zero Mostel’s rendition of the song, “If I Were a Rich Man”.
4. UNICEF, Three Wise Men
Advertising Agency: Forsman & Bodenfors, Stockholm, Sweden
Skillfully directed by Tomas Skoging, this United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Christmas appeal commercial, uses a metaphorical analogy with dark and whimsical humour, to boldly request an end to the 2,000-year-old tradition of giving gifts to children that have little, limited or no benefit to their ultimate well-being.
An expression of human kindness does not require ‘divine intervention’, merely the easy and child caring act of a Christmas gift donation to UNICEF to address the multiple and pressing needs of children that are global, regional and often even local.
5. Milka, Hold The Door
Advertising Agency: Wieden+Kennedy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The ‘Hold The Door’ commercial for Milka, a German brand of chocolate confection that originated in Switzerland in 1901 was directed by Tomas Skoging, and produced by the Acne Studio Collective.
The retro Swiss/German Milka brand personality of nostalgic country life is charmingly portrayed in this gentle story of youthful courtesy that is an art direction gem.
6. Milka, Brothers
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Another impressively art directed and filmic story for Milka by Tomas Skoging and produced by the Acne Studio Collective, this time for Milka Biscuits.
For viewing audiences of all ages, engaging performances by the young cast, add a huge amount of enjoyable charm and brand appeal.
7. IKEA, Let’s Relax
Advertising Agency: Acne, Stockholm, Sweden
Thomas Skoging directs IKEA commercials as part of a directing duo named Tompa and Rondo.
IKEA’s ‘Let’s Relax’ is a lavish, cinematic commercial with a superbly art directed period setting and character portrayal about rediscovering the simple joy of cooking, eating, and being together.
8. IKEA, The Big Blue Bag
Advertising Agency: Acne, Stockholm, Sweden
Thomas Skoging directs IKEA commercials as part of a directing duo named Tompa and Rondo.
IKEA’s 99-cent blue tote bag became a sought after icon overnight when French fashion house Balenciaga made a $2,145 copy in blue leather that motivated millions of social media responses, and many video and print parodies.
The ‘Big Blue Bag’ commercial is an appreciative response to consumer reactions acknowledging the handy role IKEA’s blue bag plays in their everyday lives.