English-speaking mainstream market TV viewers may not get the chance to enjoy this U.S. Hispanic Spanish-language spot for Energizer batteries so SHOOT is presenting this worthwhile piece, titled “Immortal,” in our “The Best Work You May Never See” gallery to make sure nothing gets lost in translation.
We open on a man about to cross a city street. His Spanish-language voiceover (translated into English for the purposes of this article) related, “Since when do I use Energizer batteries?” A moment later he enters the crosswalk and gets run over by a speeding bus. Laid out on the street and looking dead to the world, he amazingly gets up and answers his own question, “Since I discovered that I’m immortal.”
The next scenario finds our nonstop guy trying to paint the ceiling of a balcony several stories above ground. Predictably he plummetSãonto a parked car, crushing its roof. Unscathed, he dusts himself off and moves on as his voiceover relates, “Being immortal has a great advantage–you last a long time.”
Then we see him jogging along a city block. Wearing headphones, he is oblivious to the construction workers putting up a giant hand figure–with its thumb extending upwards–on the roof of a corner shop.
His voiceover continues, “And a great disadvantage–everything else seems to last very little.” Sure enough, the huge concrete hand falls on the jogger who gets up from beneath the rubble as if nothing has happened, the only casualty for him personally being his cracked MP3 music player.
Next he attempts to take a snapshot of a speeding off-road race car–the only problem is he is in the path of the oncoming vehicle, which runs him over. “That’s why I want to keep memories of everything,” says his voiceover. Again he’s no worse for the wear. “That’s why I use Energizer e-squared lithium in my camera.”
Living for the moment
“So I can immortalize many more moments,” he continues as we see him backpedaling in a museum to capture a giant prehistoric mastodon elephant in the frame of his camera. Alas, he backs into a spear being held by a tribal native statue on display. Though impaled, our protagonist is not in peril. He’s fine despite being pierced through the center of his chest.
Next we see a flashing light flickering upon the faces of what look like examples of a taxidermist’s work–stuffed dogs and cats–perched on a table. We then see the source of the flashing illumination–our immortal guy being electrocuted by a malfunctioning floor lamp. “Because in the end,” continues his voiceover, “nothing lasts as long as I do.”
And then we come full circle with our hero again attempting to cross the street. Once more he gets hit squarely by a bus. But he has an addendum to his observation that nothing lasts as long as he does. “Well, almost nothing,” says his voiceover, as we see the familiar pink, drum-beating Eveready Energizer Bunny make its way safely across the thoroughfare. Supered along the bottom of the screen to accompany that sight is the popular, tried-and-true company slogan, “Keeps on going.”
“Immortal” was directed by Nicolas Kasakoff of Flip Films, Mexico City, for agency Grupo Gallegos, Long Beach, Calif. The Grupo Gallegos creative ensemble consisted of creative directors Favio Ucedo and Juan Oubina, associate creative director/copywriter Saul Escobar, art director Curros Chozas and producer Carlos Barciela.
Consistent personality
Energizer is a longstanding Grupo Gallegos account, for which the ubiquitous pink Bunny character was created by TBWAChiatDay, Los Angeles. Weaving the bunny into the Hispanic campaign is important, related creative director Oubina in that it has become such a brand icon. “You don’t want a schizophrenic brand that has one personality in the English-language market and another in the Hispanic market,” said Oubina. “We try to maintain consistency because you have to remember that many Hispanic viewers are watching on both English and Spanish-language television.
“Yet while we try to maintain the same tone and brand personality across both cultures, our execution and concepts are designed to appeal to the Hispanic audience. ‘Immortal’ accomplishes all of this for us and the client.”
Grupo Gallegos gravitated to director Kasakoff for the spot not only because of his storytelling prowess but also the comfort level of having worked with him before on another notable, conceptually offbeat Energizer ad, “Japanese,” which played well in the U.S. Hispanic market.
