Aardman Animations has joined forces with London ad agency isobel to create a whimsical campaign for shopping center Bullring in the U.K. town of Birmingham.
Building on the equity of the “Life’s Even More Exciting at The Centre” positioning, the new campaign features a four-tier revolving mechanical model–a quirky, playful interpretation of Bullring and Birmingham. An array of products including lipsticks, illuminated ladles, cheese graters and perfume sit alongside a number of recognizable architectural landmarks including the iconic Selfridges building which, in “Bullring land,” is clad in buttons.
Rob Fletcher, creative partner at isobel, said, “We wanted to show a world full of delight and joy–to capture the many and varied facets of Bullring and to communicate its position as the heart of Birmingham.” (Fletcher served as art director on the campaign, teaming with copywriter David Alexander.)
The campaign, which launches the “We Are So City” slogan, will feature 12 different executions each capturing a different shopping experience; season; event and/or festival. The campaign, which debuted on Monday (8/27), will include: TV, outdoor, press, advertorials, digital and in-store. For outdoor, isobel have worked closely with Aurasma, an augmented reality platform, to bring the creative executions to virtual life.
On choosing to work with director/photographer/illustrator Daniel Cohen of Aardman, Fletcher related, “We knew we wanted to take a different approach with this campaign and Aardman were the obvious partners….They understand the essence of ‘playfulness’ and ‘adventure’ which is key to the execution. The mechanical model has the magical, ‘characterful’ quality we hoped it would and they have an uncanny knack of rendering the ordinary extraordinary and smacking a big fat smile on your face in the process”.
The model, which consists of four contra rotating discs with miniature models and buildings interspersed with a host of desirable products, proved a perfect challenge for Aardman, known for its modelmaking prowess. The craft-led model build of the “We Are So City” world allowed Aardman’s Cohen to get in touch with his inner child. “I always like making worlds and try to imagine where I would want to live in that place,” said Cohen. “I kind of just think like a child…that’s what I really feel lucky to be able to do–then there’s no right or wrong.” Here are the TV spot and a making-of video:
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More