Young football fans from around the world declare their allegiance to Manchester United—each proclaiming “I play for Manchester United” while wearing the team jersey—in a new Chevrolet commercial from Commonwealth//McCann, Detroit.
Directed and shot by Joaquin Baca-Asay, this :60 began running on broadcast and social channels last weekend to coincide with a special event at Manchester United’s first Premier League match. Eleven kids from across the globe—dubbed as “mascots” because of their dedication to the team— took to the field at Old Trafford stadium with their football idols and swapped shirts with them just before the game. Each child’s story can be found at www.ChevroletFC.com.
Credits
Client Chevrolet Agency Commonwealth/McCann, Detroit Linus Karlsson, creative chairman; Andreas Dahlqvist, chief creative officer global; Matt Canzano, deputy global chief creative officer; Greg Collins, creative director/copywriter; Emil Nisowski, creative director/art director; Gary Wise, associate creative director; Scott Lenfestey, sr. copywriter; Shawn Knight, Joel Vile, Chris Raimond, digital art directors; Brian Dilorenzo, chief production officer; Jeff Beverly, director of content; Craig Mungons, executive producer; Ryan Wallace, digital producer; Conner Huber, global director of strategy. Production MJZ Joaquin Baca-Asay, director/DP; Emma Wilcockson, exec producer; Lalou Dammond, live-action producer; Steven Fernandez, first A.D.; Jane Carroll, production designer. VFX a52 Andy McKenna, VFX supervisor/2D VFX artist; Richard Hirst, Cameron Coombs, Steve Wolff, 2D VFX artists; Ian Ruhfass, Caleb Hecht, CG artists; Chris Janney, CG Massive TD; Joe Chiechi, tracking; Tiffany Germann, roto; Scott Boyajan, Daughn Godd Ward, producers; Megan Meloth, exec producer. Post Company 3 Tom Poole, colorist; Dana Bloder, producer. Editorial Rock Paper Scissors NY Ted Guard, editor; Jenny Greenfield, producer; Chris Mitchell, sr. cutting assistant; JK Carrington, assistant. Music Unseen Music Keith Kenniff Sound Design Rock Paper Scissors. Audio Lime Studios Mark Meyuhas, mixer.
Director Marc André Debruyne--who’s handled by production house Open Swim for U.S. representation--brings Coca-Cola’s legacy of celebrating holiday traditions to life in this campaign spotlighting Filipino Balikbayan boxes. The spot--out of Toronto agencies Taxi and VML--features Tita Rosita, owner of the oldest Filipino-Canadian grocery store in Toronto, whose much-adored shop was wrapped like a massive Coca-Cola-themed Balikbayan box as she prepared hundreds of boxes for customers to send their loved ones, with Coca-Cola paying for the boxes and the cost of shipping them to the Philippines. The spot is a testament to the brand’s prevailing facilitation of cultural and generational connectivity, especially during the holiday season.
The collaborative project--produced by Toronto production company MOWAD--was particularly special for Debruyne, who’s Filipino, because of the large presence of Filipino crew members on set. “It’s a totally surreal feeling when a work project crosses over into your personal life. It’s not too often that happens,” shares Debruyne. “The number of Balikbayan boxes I’ve sent home since I was a child, being surrounded by so many Filipinos on set – both crew and cast, and even being served pancit by Tita Rosita for lunch (and getting yelled at after because I didn’t have seconds) brought back so many wonderful memories of my mom. It was such a fun vibe on set. This wasn’t even a job, it was truly something special.”
