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:
Four-tier mechanical creation serves as centerpiece of campaign for U.K. shopping center
Director Ayse Altinok Joins Good Times For U.S. Commercial Representation
Director and writer Ayse Altinok has joined commercial production company Good Times for U.S. representation. Altinok has directed campaigns for Nike, Horizon Milk, Larabar, Jose Cuervo, Unilever, Mavi Jeans, Boots, Lumene, and more.
A former art director at Wieden + Kennedy in Amsterdam and Portland, she approaches each project with careful consideration, analyzing the end goal as a first step and uncovering meaningful moments along the way. Her work features a cinematic, dreamlike quality and elevated aesthetic.
“Having the right chemistry and karma is very powerful and that’s what attracted me to Good Times, and also timing,” said Altinok. “It’s a place where I can continue to push myself as a filmmaker and try new things, whether it’s for a traditional commercial spot or a high concept art project and everything in between.”
“I’ve worked with Ayse for 20 years and she’s super talented. She’s great at finding gems in stories that would otherwise be overlooked, and her aesthetic is phenomenal,” noted Bernadette Spear, executive producer at Good Times. “She can also empathize with creatives, because she’s lived in that world and understands what our clients face and knows how to support their vision.”
Throughout her career, Altinok’s work has won many industry accolades, including awards from The One Show, Clio, Art Directors Club, AICP, and the ANDYs. In 2016, she was nominated for a D&AD Next Director Award for her short film A Day at the Mall Reminds Me of America, a motion poem. Her first short film, 2009’s Hortum was an official selection of 11 film festivals worldwide and won the Special Jury Prize for Best Drama at the Amsterdam Film Festival.
Outside of her short... Read More