As executive creative director at McKinney in Raleigh, N.C., David Baldwin has had a hand in assorted notable projects, including endeavors that have broken new media ground, a high-profile example being last year’s “The Heist” for Audi, an all-encompassing experiential ad vehicle event that blended fiction and reality, turning prospective consumers into interactive participants.
Now on behalf of Sony’s Bravia line of liquid-crystal-display TV sets, he leads a McKinney team that tackles the DVR quandary, making a commercial that tempts viewers to pay attention, using the TiVo or an equivalent system–noted for its ad-skipping prowess–as the means to access alternative endings to the spot storyline.
“Basically we’re trying to use the TiVo experience to our advantage,” related Baldwin. “DVR users can click a button on their remote control to select an ending to watch either male or female-oriented.”
The original commercial–sans alternate endings–debuted during the 2005 Academy Awards telecast. Directed by Scott Vincent of bicoastal/international Hungry Man, “Trailer” featured a man and a woman gazing through a storefront window at amazing cinema-like images displayed on a Sony Bravia LCD TV set. Unaware of each other, the man and woman simultaneously say, “Nice picture,” at which point they finally notice one another.
Fast-forward to today and McKinney has crafted different conclusions that take us past where the initial commercial left off. DVR users can select either the “Ending for Men” or the “Ending for Women.” The female endings consist of a 1950s-era musical centered on shoes and an emotional tale about a female doctor saving a man and an orphan. The male-driven ending is either a funny clip from a sports drama or a cartoon spoof of a martial-arts movie. The endings were directed by Frank Todaro of bicoastal/international Moxie Pictures.
“We’re bringing the genders together,” quipped Baldwin, noting that the HD television set marketplace has become “an inherent battleground” between the sexes. “The guys want the giant TV set with the awesome picture while the women think it’s too big for the room and don’t want it….We’ve used our campaign to bridge that gap and more deeply brand Sony Bravia as the TV for both men and women.”
And that entertaining, engaging concept has legs, according to Kevin Berman, marketing manager for Sony Electronics. So much so that the agency and client waited until now for the other shoe to drop. “We always intended to have this second part of the campaign–with the alternate endings for DVR users,” said Berman. “But we don’t traditionally have a heavy media summer….so we decided to come back with the alternate endings now this fall when our media play is heavy.”
“Conclave” Tops BAFTA Film Awards With 12 Nominations, One More Than “Emilia Pérez”
Papal thriller “Conclave,” which stars Ralph Fiennes as a cardinal overseeing the election of a new pope, leads the race — just — for the British Academy Film Awards, with nominations in 12 categories, one more than the genre-busting trans musical “Emilia Pérez.”
But with the wildfires in Los Angeles over the past week fresh in the minds of everyone in the movie industry, Wednesday’s announcement of the latest BAFTA nominations was understandably subdued.
“We are very much thinking of our colleagues, friends, community over there,” said BAFTA chair Sara Putt. “It’s devastating what’s going on.”
She wouldn’t be drawn on whether the fires may impact the BAFTA ceremony, which is due to take place on Feb. 16.
“The ceremony is a month away, it would be inappropriate and far too early to say anything about that,” Putt said.
The five films nominated for the prestigious best film award were “Conclave,” “Emilia Pérez,” the 215-minute postwar epic “ The Brutalist,” the Palme d’Or-winning comedy/drama “ Anora “ and the Bob Dylan biopic “ A Complete Unknown.”
“The Brutalist” ended up with nine nominations, including leading actor for Adrien Brody, who faces stiff competition from Fiennes and Timothee Chalamet, who plays the young Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.”
The other actors nominated are Hugh Grant for his creepy role in the horror film “ Heretic,” Colman Domingo in real-life prison drama “ Sing Sing “ and Sebastian Stan for his portrayal of a real estate mogul — a certain Donald Trump — in “ The Apprentice.”
“Anora,” the sci-fi epic “Dune: Part Two” and “Wicked” each received seven nominations. “A Complete Unknown”... Read More