For North American bank Meridian and Toronto-based ad agency Elemental, Dan French directed this spot depicting a dystopian world populated by nameless folk. It’s a society in which there’s no personalized identity. Rather people are referred to by their account numbers, making the commercial–titled “World of Numbers”–a metaphor for the impersonal treatment some larger banks give their customers. By contrast, there’s a human-based, community-centric spirit provided by regional bank Meridian.
Produced by Impossible Studios, Toronto, in collaboration with Elemental, French (who’s repped by Stink Films in the U.S. and U.K.) sought to build a highly crafted and stylized world with depth. Through intricate set builds and choreographed cinematography, he constructed a narrative to transmit the somber energy behind a nameless society. Casting was a fun but rigorous task. French and his team set out to find a diverse group of people to accurately represent today’s public, while also collectively portraying a lack of identity and sense of confusion. We’re confronted with a series of familiar scenarios that are thrown off by the “world of numbers.”
Credits
Client Meridian Matthew Seagrim, chief digital & marketing officer; Susan LeBlanc, VP marketing; Donovan Bond, director, creative; Genevieve Ross, project manager; Ghazal Taheri, director, brand; Rebecca Tsonis, sr. strategist, brand; Scott Dane, sr. manager, brand. Agency Elemental Scott Fess, creative director; Dustin Brown, partner, chief strategy officer; Lindsay Chase, sr. strategist. Production Company Impossible Studios Dan French, director; Marco D’Angelo, exec producer; Adrian Cheung, producer; Ben Cotgrove, DP. Production Service Company 247 x Radioaktivefilm Kate Galytska, exec producer; Tadas Vaitmonas, producer; Ieva Billionaite, Aukse Veitaite, production managers; Nerijus Narmontas, production designer; Mindaugas Smolkas, set decorator. Editorial School Editing Monica Remba, editor; Yumi Suyama, exec producer; Erica Giustiniani, editor assistant. Color Harbor Picture Company Alex Gregory, colorist; Charlie Morris, head of color. VFX Pinky Swear James Andrews, VFX artist; Airees Angellakis, producer. Audio Jungle Studios Luke Isom, audio engineer; Phoebe Baltazar, producer. VO Record Grayson Music
For the global EX30 Cross Country launch, Volvo and creative agency Forsman & Bodenfors wants to de-dramatize the outdoor experience--and remind people that small trips into nature can be grand experiences.
Cross Country is Volvo’s concept of turning their regular cars into more outdoor-capable versions, with higher ground clearance, all-wheel drive and other features making it more capable and off-road ready. And now, the compact, fully electric EX30 becomes available as a Cross Country version. It’s a small car designed for big experiences, made to elevate both urban living and outdoor adventure, and to bring people closer to nature.
“With Volvo being such a human-centric brand, it felt natural to focus on the human side of nature. The child’s perspective became the perfect metaphor for this, to spend time in nature on nature’s terms,” said Karl Risenfors, creative at Forsman & Bodenfors.
In a category that often portrays epic journeys deep into the wilderness, the campaign serves as a reminder that even everyday adventures can be memorable experiences. Thus this launch spot--directed by Marcus Ibanez via production company New-Land--shows nature through the point of view of a child. A child’s imagination and perspective generates a visual metaphor for the magic that nature can bring, no matter the scale of the adventure.
