Socioeconomic issues of class and race seem like provocative subjects for a soft drink campaign-but Sprite and Burrell Communications Group, Chicago, are betting that viewers will appreciate the complex story, glossy production values and star power of rap artists Mos Def, Beanie Sigel, Pharoahe Monch and Lord Finesse in the "What Are You Thinkin’?" campaign.
The spots were the brainchild of former Burrell creative director Reginald "Reggieknow" Jolley, now of New York-based Ad*itive. "The Necklace," "The Watch," "The Pick-Up," "The Brooch" and "The Bust" unfold over the course of a few tense moments in a posh jewelry store. The spots open in the beautifully shot, rarefied atmosphere of an expensive shop with the camera lingering on the golden-lit background of glittering jewels. In each spot, the muted baroque strains of Pachelbel’s Canon fade to the rappers’ voiceovers, and the hand on a clock ticks ever closer to an unforeseen climax.
Jolley, who has worked on the urban Sprite campaign for several years, commented, "In looking at the campaigns we’ve done in the past, they were driven by action and special effects. I wanted to come up with a concept that would do what an action campaign would have done, but [used] a different way to create talk, by touching on something real [such as] class issues," he said.
How do you combine a serious social message with a soda? According to Jolley, "The tag line ‘Obey your thirst’ speaks to the target: always be yourself no matter where you are. The rappers are being who they are, being comfortable with themselves."
While there is very little dialogue, the rappers talk about ‘obeying their thirst’ as they wander through the store, unnerving the conservative staff and the other customers. Store personnel, including security, are apprehensive about the rappers’ presence. They clearly suspect that the rappers are either casing the joint or that a heist is about to take place.
When conceiving the campaign, Jolley explained, "I wrote out what happens from commercial to commercial, and said [to the artists], ‘Here’s where you are, here’s where you enter the store,’ " providing an improvisational atmosphere for the rappers while maintaining creative control. The artists and Jolley wrote lyrics that reflected the rappers’ roles in the drama because Jolley was keen to have the performers do more than just "rap over the product."
The rappers were aided by veteran music producer Bernie Drayton of Three Tree Productions, New York, who’s produced music for Sprite for about 10 years: "I help artists turn a three-minute song into a :30. I call it the last vestige of commissioned art: there are no more kings saying, ‘Hey, Handel, can you think of some Water Music?’-it’s Dr Pepper and Sprite that are the commissioners. This is the first time that [many of] these artists have had this kind of challenge."
Jolley’s one worry is that when the last spot airs in August, viewers may have forgotten the earlier episodes: "The fifth spot is like, ‘Wow, it really all comes together!’ After the fifth commercial comes out, you want to see one through four again. We’re not giving you a recap, so I hope that after spot five airs, that they start running them again."
The spots were helmed by British-born Rupert Wainwright of Santa Monica-based production house Windmill Lane. Wainwright, a former Fulbright film scholar at UCLA and the director of the’99 feature Stigmata, is, on the surface, a curious choice. But Wainwright’s background also includes a stint as director of numerous music videos for artists including MC Hammer, N.W.A. and the late Eazy-E. As Jolley pointed out, "Rupert has a movie and urban situation-type film work behind him-and he’s a good storyteller."
Storytelling and depth of plot were the project’s major attractions for Wainwright: "It’s unusual to have the opportunity to get involved with a project with such a strong story line," he observed, adding that while many spots are funny or clever, a plot-driven spot is a rarity. Wainwright was so interested in the campaign that when he got the boards, "I wrote a script to show them how serious I was," he recalled.
Executive producer/producer Sharon Kimbrough, Burrell’s VP/director of broadcast production services remarked, "When Rupert wrote a treatment, Reggie read it and said, ‘Wow, I feel like I’ve seen a movie.’ It really helped us to see the spots come alive."
The media buy emphasizes youth: look for the spots on the MTV, BET and WB networks. "We’re talking to young adults 16-18 and whenever we’ve done testing, they [viewers] have always remembered the Sprite commercials," said Kimbrough.
This is not the first time that Sprite and Burrell have given audiences serial ads. Two years ago, Burell introduced the recurring Voltron character, and last year The Five Deadly Women were featured. Kimbrough explained the appeal of the format: "You always want to know what the next one’s about, so it creates excitement and anticipation that’s really good for the brand."
Ben Dossett and Tracy Hauser of Windmill Lane Productions, Santa Monica, were the campaign’s executive producers. Freelancer Carolyn Chen was the DP, and the spots were shot on location in Los Angeles. Jolley was the campaign’s creative director/art director/copywriter. Composition and lyrics were written by Jolley with Def ("The Necklace"), Sigel ("The Watch"), Monch ("The Pick-Up") and Lord Finesse ("The Brooch"). Greg Snider of The Lookinglass Company, Chicago, was the editor; assistant editors were Keith Olwell and Erik Powell. The effects editor was Rob Churchill, colorist was Michael Mazur, and the Flame artist was Heidi Anderson, all of The Filmworkers Club, Chicago. Audio post was done by engineer Jeffrey Van Steen, assistant Harry Burgan, and executive producer David Kaplan of the Chicago Recording Company. Through Secret Frequency, Chicago, Van Steen, Burgan and Kaplan were also, respectively, sound designer, assistant sound designer and executive producer.
