Airstream has been making its instantly recognizable brand of travel trailers with their distinctive rounded shape and polished aluminum look since the 1930s. With their new fiberglass travel trailer, Nest, Airstream explored a new market while pushing the design envelope. The compact, easy-to-tow Nest is unlike anything else in the travel trailer world, necessitating a suitably creative marketing approach. Airstream and its creative agency Upward Brand Interactions, Dayton, OH, turned to Calabash to create a pair of animated hummingbird characters named Gigi and Dave that serve as tour guides in the new online campaign.
Calabash Creative Director Wayne Brejcha says, “We liked the client’s choice of hummingbirds, little precise jewels of Mother Nature. That fits with Nest nicely.”
Sean Henry, Calabash’s Executive Producer, adds: “The client appreciated the care our CG team put into making the spots look as great as possible. Our artists and animators gave Gigi and Dave realism as well as personality, and yet the animation draws attention to the cool features of the Nest without being distracting. It’s an excellent example of some of the broadcast-quality work we are creating that is solely for the web.”