Directed by Noam Murro of Biscuit Filmworks for agency Merkley+Partners, this modern wintry love story takes place in the middle of a severe snowstorm as a boy tries to convince his father to drive him (in his Mercedes-Benz C-Class with 4MATIC all-wheel drive) to meet his first date at a movie theater. When they arrive and go inside, as expected, the theatre is totally empty. Despondent, the boy walks past his father and back out into the storm, his first date having not materialized. But then, heroically, through the heavy flakes of snow, the lights of an approaching Mercedes-Benz GLE appear in the distance.
The online :90, which has a :60 version for TV, is driven in part by the song “Make You Feel My Love” by Bob Dylan. Originally sung by Billy Joel in 1997, it was also covered by Adele in 2008. The version in “Snow Date” was performed by the group Sleeping At Last.
Credits
Client Mercedes-Benz USA Agency Merkley + Partners Andy Hirsch, chief creative officer/chairman; Eddie Van Bloem, group creative director/copywriter; Saks Afridi, group creative director/art director; Alex Kobak, sr. producer; Gary Grossman, director of broadcast production. Production Biscuit Filmworks Noam Murro, director; Simon Duggan, DP; Shawn Lacy, managing director; Rick Jarjoura, exec producer; Jay Veal, line producer. Postproduction Work Editorial Stewart Reeves, editor; Sari Resnick, editorial producer; Erica Thompson, editorial exec producer. VFX MPC New York Chris Bernier, 3D lead; Rob Walker, lead compositor; Ashley Burns, shoot supervisor; Sophie Hogg, VFX producer; Camilla De Biaggi, VFX exec producer; Justin Bruckman, VFX managing director. Music “To Make You Feel My Love” by Bob Dylan; music supervision by Sleeping At Last. Music Supervision Venn Arts Jonathan Hecht. Sound Design Brian Emrich, sound designer. Audio Post Heard City Phil Loeb, 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.”
