AAMCO contracted directly with Venice, Calif.-based Backyard to concept and produce “800 Pieces”. Conceived and created by a Backyard team led by director Nick Piper and executive producer Blair Stribley, the spot features 800 auto transmission parts floating beautifully in the air before forming completely back into one whole transmission, all while an AAMCO technician interacts with the pieces and talking about the company’s expertise.
Stribley said, “Over the years, we have done a lot of comedy spots for AAMCO. They’ve always been fun projects, and over time, we developed a great, trusting working relationship with [AAMCO’s national creative committee chairman] Mike Ganjei. When he contacted us with this opportunity, we jumped at the chance. The majority of our work comes from advertising agencies, and we love doing that work, but this was a chance to flex our creative muscles in a completely different way.”
Backyard assembled a team that included director Nick Piper, CGI artist Tony Smoller from Vertical EFX, and freelance CD/copywriter Josh Caplan, who wrote copy on the project. The team spent several weeks developing a concept, and then pitched their ideas to Ganjei. Ganjei was intrigued, and after the team refined the messaging and created motion tests to show how the spot would look, he awarded Backyard the project. The production included a two-day live action shoot in the desert, and nearly two months of CG modeling.
The campaign consists of one :90 piece for Internet and in-store usage, one :60 spot for online media buys, and four :30 spots for traditional TV. The broadcast spots will be airing mid-September.
CreditsClient AAMCO Production Backyard, Venice, Calif. Nick Piper, director/creative director/Flame artist; Blair Stribley, president/partner; Chris Zander, managing director/partner; Kris Mathur, VP/executive producer; Josh Caplan, freelance creative director/copywriter. Visual Effects Vertical EFX Tony Smoller, CGI artist; Gary Gannon, editor.
NHS England, M&C Saatchi UK, Director Tom Tagholm Team On PSA Highlighting The Overlooked Signs Of A Stroke
National Health Service (NHS) England has unveiled a multichannel campaign, “Act FAST,” to raise awareness of the individual signs of a stroke and get people to call 999 as soon as they suspect they may be experiencing any one symptom. The push, which is part of the ongoing “Help Us, Help You” campaign, was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.
The campaign depicts everyday situations where everything might seem relatively normal, but where there’s the sign of someone experiencing a stroke.
A key component of the campaign is this :30--directed by Tom Tagholm of Various Films--which sets up the idea that initially, a stroke might not seem like much, highlighting key symptoms: from struggling to use a paint roller, to not being able to smile when watching TV, to slurring your speech when reading a story to your grandchild. The PSA emphasizes that time is critical, ending with the line: “Face or arm or speech, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999.”
Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, said, “We want to ensure people take action on the first symptom, rather than waiting for more conclusive signs. To help them understand that even when everything seems normal, something serious might be happening.”
Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi UK, commented: “This is important work. We wanted to explore that precise moment when your world shifts, quietly yet powerfully, off its axis during a stroke. We highlight how a tiny external moment can actually be seismic—an extraordinary gear change, framed in a really ordinary way.”
Director Tagholm shared, “My Dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and was saved from the worst by acting quickly, and by the work of the NHS. So there’s... Read More