The great outdoors just got a little friendlier–and for good reason as reflected in this two-spot campaign promoting the Minnesota State Lottery.
In “Bear,” we open on a young man hiking through the wilderness. The relaxing experience of being at one with nature turns scary, however, when the stakes are upped to being at two with nature–the second party being a large bear.
Our hiker stops dead in his tracks. It’s not clear whether he’s frozen by fear or if he read somewhere that it’s best to keep motionless when confronted by a bear. Either way, it makes for a nervous moment as the tension builds.
The bear comes right up to the man and sniffs his face. The animal takes its huge paws and wraps them around the guy’s neck. From the hiker’s facial expression, you can see he’s silently praying for his life. But the bear’s approach isn’t a prelude to an attack. Instead the paws draw the man in closer for a sweet, tender, heartfelt bear hug. Realizing he’s the object of affection, the man brings his arms around the bear for a warm mutual embrace.
A voiceover puts this bear hug into perspective. “Last year,” the narrator relates, “your lottery gave $47.2 million to the environment. And for that, nature thanks you.”
Titled “Bear,” the commercial ends with the Minnesota Lottery logo.
The other spot, “Eagle,” has a similar theme. A fisherman sits in his small boat floating in the middle of a lake. A bald eagle flies by, skimming the water’s surface. We then proceed to see the fisherman almost fall asleep from boredom, getting nary a nibble on his line. However, he’s awakened as a prize fish drops in his boat from above. This gift from the heavens is easily explained as the camera reveals the eagle flying overhead. It’s the majestic bird’s way of offering thanks to the man for playing the Minnesota Lottery, which generates funds for the betterment of the environment. So even if you don’t win the lottery, everybody in the state benefits.
Both spots–which debuted last month in Minnesota–were directed by Kranky (a.k.a. Larry Shanet) via a co-production between Shooters International, Toronto, and Drive Thru, Minneapolis, for agency Colle+McVoy, Minneapolis. (Shooters represents Kranky in Canada; Crossroads, bicoastal and Chicago, handles him nationally.)
Mark Setterholm and Sara Draxten executive produced for Drive Thru. Line producer was Nicole Erdmann. Two DPs split duties on “Bear”: Afshin Shahidi and Jeff Stonehouse. A pair of DPs was necessary because the bear, named Muckaday, got sick during the original filming. A second shoot was needed to wrap the bear footage after Muckaday had fully recovered from a lung infection.
The Colle+McVoy team consisted of executive creative director Mike Fetrow, creative director Dave Keepper, copywriter Brian Ritchie, art director Jay Miller, director of broadcast/producer Ramon Nunez, and producer Rose Pennington.
Editor was freelancer Brody Howard who worked on the project via Drive Thru Post, Minneapolis. Online editor/effects artist was Bob George of Drive Thru Post. Colorist was Oscar Obozo of Hi-Wire, Minneapolis. Audio post mixer/sound designer was Carl White of BWN, Minneapolis. BWN’s Ken Brahmstedt served as music composer.
