How do you sell a GPS personal navigation device that eliminates the hassle of map reading? Garmin is using a heavy metal music video that stages a fight between Garmin Man, the steel clad embodiment of a frustrated driver, and Maposaurus, a giant creature formed when a map flies out of the driver’s window.
Garmin, a first time Super Bowl advertiser, will extend the :30 it runs during the game with “Grab Your Garmin,” a long-form video that can be seen at a microsite linked to www.Garmin.com and YouTube. “We wanted to do something to make the investment live past the :30 and it started with writing lyrics to the song,” said Brian Tierney, group creative director at Fallon Minneapolis, Garmin’s agency. The song* is sung by Steve Grimmett, former lead singer of the heavy metal band Grim Reaper, which jives with the story of the driver wrestling with the map, which “unfolds into a giant Maposaurus and the hero pulls out a Garmin Nüvi, which pops out of his belt to save the day,” Tierney said.
The video resulted from a three-day shoot in London, “shot on a stage that was divided into two parts,” said Marty Wetherall, Fallon’s senior producer. “The first part was a large mini site, with forest, highway, little cars, a bridge and a factory, which were destroyed while the monsters were fighting. The second part was a life size set for the band and the driver getting out of his car. The characters fighting on the mini set made them look like giants, it’s the old fashioned way of doing monster special effects,” he said.
Garmin Man and Maposaurus were actors wearing costumes. “They were cast for the way they moved and custom fitted,” Wetherall said.
“As the map unfolded, it takes on an origami flavor,” Tierney said. “It had an origami look with wings that resemble the map fanning out. We were thrilled with how the costume came together.”
The video starts with close-ups of Grimmett and his guitarist, then close-ups of the two fighting figures, before focusing on the driver in his car trying to unfold a simple map. The fight between the Garmin Man and Maposarus represents the fight between modern technology and old-style maps, Tierney said. “Garmin Man blows him up in the end, making him history. He’s the champion of personal navigation.”
The music video is the “hero” of the campaign, Tierney said. The Super Bowl :30 features a “More at Garmin.com” tag at the end of the spot, taking viewers to the microsite to see the video.
*”GPS Power, Saves The Day, Grab Your Garmin, Blows Maps Away.”
