Created by Goodby Silverstein & Partners and directed by Jonny Mass of RSA Films, this spot for BMW’s annual Road Home Sales Event shows how a quirky happening gives a father the wrong idea about the holiday gift he’s getting from his son.
This :45 commercial puts known category tropes (big red bow, anyone?) together with the power of Mother Nature to show us what can happen when the right thing falls into the wrong context.
“The idea is a welcome shift from the usual. It takes what we know of the holidays and holiday car commercials and adds a signature wink,” said Wes Phelan, executive creative director, Goodby Silverstein & Partners.
Starting this week and running into the World Cup, BMW plans to run the "Big Red Bow" spot on TV and online.
Credits
Client BMW North America Agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners Rich Silverstein, co-chairman and co-founder; Margaret Johnson, partner, chief creative officer; Matt Edwards, Wes Phelan, executive creative directors; Kevin Leung, Clemens Zlami, associate creative directors; Guillermo Aliaga Pueyrredon, art director; Belen Russomanno, copywriter; Bonnie Wan, partner, head of brand strategy; Stephanie Phillips, group brand strategy director; Kevin DeStefan, Lucas Goodbody, brand strategy directors; Christine Chen, partner, head of communication strategy; Dong Kim, group communication strategy director; Jane Warren, deputy director of research strategy; Jim Haight, head of production; Matt Flaker, executive producer; Jennifer de Leon, Daniel Chang, producers; Jim King, director of graphic services. Production RSA Films Jonny Mass, director; Luke Ricci, president; Buddy Brakha, exec producer; Carolyn Pedrossian, head of production; Jon Dawes, producer; Pete Konzcal, DP. Editorial Uppercut Editorial Joaquin Machado, editor; Allen Rounsley, assistant editor; Jared Thomas, head of production. Music Racket Club Justin Hori, creative director; Adrian Womack, creative producer; Becky Mathai, associate producer. Sound Design/Audio Post Sonic Union Steve Rosen, sound designer/mix engineer; Justine Cortale, audio post studio director. VFX The Mill John Leonti, shoot supervisor; Hillary Thomas, exec producer; Alexander Candlish, creative director; Kim Downing, producer; Abigail Riegel, Kevin Diaz, VFX artists; Paul Yacono, colorist; Denise Brown, sr. producer; Gemma Parr, sr. color assistant; Jacob Suffern, color assistant.
After losing part of his right leg due to cancer, Terry Fox campaigned to raise national awareness and funding for cancer research by running his Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada 42-km daily run, on his prosthetic leg. Fox, who died in 1981, is a national hero. His image will be on Canada’s new $5 bill.
In this two-minute video titled “Finish It,” the Marathon of Hope is recreated. It’s all done in one take, and it features an actor/marathon runner who uses a prosthesis on the same leg as Fox. CGI was deployed to make him look more like Fox. To further ensure the actor represented Fox accurately, not only did the actor and team watch and study many videos of Terry, but Terry’s brothers, Fred and Darrel, coached the actor on Terry’s running style and mannerisms. They also created a copy of Terry’s prosthesis for the actor to use for the shoot.
The message is clear. As the Marathon of Hope now marks its 45th anniversary, we now have the opportunity to “Finish It” for Fox, raising money and awareness to get a cure for cancer over the finish line, completing the work that Fox started. The public service film starts with Fox on the marathon run, eventually joined by a crowd of other dedicated runners from all walks of life who take over the race.
Mark Zibert directed via production company Scouts Honour for Toronto agency Diamond. The video features a never-before-heard version of the song “Courage” from Canadian band The Tragically Hip.
“We wanted to create a campaign that captures the magnitude of Terry Fox’s legacy while driving meaningful action,” said Peter Ignazi, chief creative officer at Diamond. “By revisiting the Marathon of Hope with such care and reverence, we aimed to reignite Terry’s mission and... Read More
