While an updated version of The Pink Panther starring Steve Martin and Beyonce Knowles won’t hit movie theaters until August, the sly pink cat that we first met in the animated title sequence of the original 1963 film is already out of the bag and starring in a hip, fun new spot for Sweet’N Low.
Titled “Think Pink” (:30), the animated commercial, which cleverly rejuvenates both the classic cat and the venerable Sweet’N Low brand, finds the Pink Panther literally painting the town pink. But when he starts to run out of steam, the pink color draining from his lithe frame, the Pink Panther turns to Sweet’N Low to regain his energy–as well as his color.
Created by Pedone & Partners Advertising, New York, “Think Pink” came into being after MGM, which owns the rights to the Pink Panther character and produced the upcoming movie, contacted Sweet’N Low–famous for its pink packaging–about becoming a marketing partner.
The pairing of the Pink Panther and Sweet’N Low seems obvious–they are both distinctly pink, after all. But Pedone & Partners wanted to go beyond that commonality and strove to come up with a concept for a spot that would truly link the Pink Panther with the Sweet’N Low product, according to Pedone & Partners creative director Tom Cook.
As we see in the spot, the creative team, which also included art director Shayne Millington and copywriter Carolyn Oppenheim, smartly chose to assert that the Pink Panther has been able to stay pink–and maintain his high energy and great attitude–all of these years with the help of Sweet’N Low artificial sweetener.
Now while anyone who drinks coffee is a potential consumer of Sweet’N Low, Pedone & Partners wanted “Think Pink” to appeal to females from their mid-20s on up. Therefore it was crucial that the venerable Pink Panther character–as well as decades old Sweet’N Low brand–come across as contemporary and cool in the spot as opposed to old-fashioned. In fact, that was the mandate issued to the animation directors who bid on the project, and JJ & Maithy–the directing duo of JJ Walker and Maithy Tran–of bicoastal Hornet Inc. ultimately won the job over numerous other talents.
It should be noted that Walker and Tran actually joined the bidding process after it had gotten well underway. “They were a last, last, last-minute throw in. We had almost awarded the job to someone else,” Oppenheim shared. “But we really liked their energy, and we thought, let’s see what they can do. They turned around a presentation in twenty-four hours, and nailed it. They got that delicate balance between keeping the animation classic and making it modern.”
“The first board they ever gave us was the actual board that we wound up going with,” Millington added. “That’s the spot. We actually held them to that.”
Relying on a toolbox of off-the-self software (Cinema 4D, After Effects, Photoshop and Illustrator), JJ & Maithy created a modern, sophisticated 3-D environment for the Pink Panther to roam through, keeping the lines and shapes simple (as they were in the classic Pink Panther cartoons) but adding texture as well as light and shadow.
As for the color scheme, blue and green serve as the primary hues on top of a stark black background. “The blue and green really make the pink stand out,” Millington noted.
It is a dynamic world that JJ & Maithy created–one full of inventive transitions (including a swift camera pan) and dazzling sights (after the Pink Panther dips his paint brush into a gurgling fountain, the water turns from blue to pink).
While the Pink Panther inhabits a whole new world, the character himself is the Pink Panther that we all know and love. As one might expect, MGM wanted to ensure that the character had the look and movements he is known for. JJ & Maithy are not character animators, so they brought in Brent Chambers, a Hornet director who runs his own shop, Flux Animation Studios in Auckland, New Zealand, to create the Pink Panther in 2-D. The 2-D Pink Panther was then inserted into the 3-D environment.
THE SWEET SPOT
For his part, Cook was particularly impressed by the amount of detail JJ & Maithy put into “Think Pink.” Look closely, and you’ll see all sorts of special touches. For example, a bouquet of pink flowers sway gently in the breeze. “We wanted it to hold up well for repeated viewings,” Walker said, “so we made sure the detail was in there.”
The animation is amazing, but pairing it with the right music was integral to the success of the spot, and the agency went with the classic Pink Panther Theme composed by Henry Mancini. “I don’t think it would have worked without it,” Pedone & Partners producer Matthew Pedone remarked. “That was something that really needed to happen, and it wasn’t cheap, so it was a big consideration.”
The theme has actually been re-recorded several times over the years. The version of the song adapted for use in “Think Pink” was recorded in ’79.
Bob Pomann of Pomann Sound, New York, did the audio mix (as well as the sound design). “Bob helped us nail the music because that piece is something like six minutes long, and it took some work to get it to work within thirty seconds,” Millington praised.
In addition to the “Think Pink” spot, Pedone & Partners has produced a multi-faceted marketing communications program–including newly redesigned Sweet’N Low packaging featured the Pink Panther–tied into the summer launch of The Pink Panther in movie theaters. “The spot is the focal point of a much larger program that we’re doing for Sweet’N Low,” Cook said.
Given the effort Sweet’N Low has had Pedone & Partners put into its latest campaign, is it possible that we might see more Sweet’N Low spots featuring the Pink Panther? It’s likely, according to Cook, who commented, “We’re hoping this is a long-term commitment rather than just a one-off.”