STORY’s David Orr and agency Cramer-Krasselt put a pair of windshield wipers to the ultimate test in an ingenious new spot for Rain-X. In the ad, a pair of Rain-X Silicone AdvantEdge wiper blades are first encased in huge blocks of ice and then thawed with powerful gas flames. As water and chunks of ice slowly drop from the blades, the voiceover notes that if they can “survive in these conditions, clearly they’ll last in yours.”
Orr staged and shot the dramatic demonstration entirely through practical means. He contracted a Chicago ice company to freeze the blades in a 350-pound block of ice. He then had the block suspended in midair by chains, surrounded by gas jets. “I worked with a great rigger and we performed a lot of tests to determine the right relationship between the blocks of ice and the wall of fire,” recalls Orr.
The demonstration is not only technically impressive, it’s artfully presented. “The materials we used included brushed aluminum and stainless steel, which reflect light well,” notes Orr. “It looked wonderful and helped give it the feel of a science experiment.”
Orr injected emotion into the demo by treating the blades like gladiators. “In the treatment, I referred to the blades as our ‘heroes,’” he explains. “They make their appearance, they go through a trial and emerge victorious. We played with that idea in a variety of ways. The nozzles on the gas jets, for example, look like teeth, giving the appearance of predators.”
The concept, created by long-time Rain-X agency partner Cramer-Krasselt, transforms a product that most people take for granted into something both essential and beautiful. “It’s a challenge to depict the super premium value of this type of product in a way that grabs attention,” noted Todd Stone, executive creative director at Cramer-Krasselt. “But our idea, with David and STORY’s deft execution, mixes art and science in a way that really demonstrates the performance of the blades”
STORY is represented on the East Coast by Ilene Silberman (212) 794-9030; in the Midwest by Amy McIntyre (312) 550-2554, in the Southeast by Miller + Associates, (954) 563-6004; in the Southwest by Gossip!, (214) 288-2813 and on the West Coast by Yvette Lubinsky, (310) 827-2626.
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Sonic Branding For Social Media: Engage, Align, Connect
By Chad Cook -- With more than five billion people accessing social media daily, savvy brands understand the importance of cultivating a strong social identity. They devote massive resources toward brand awareness, audience targeting, content strategy and community engagement. Yet, while they know that social platforms are critical to boosting sales and attracting new customers, many neglect one of the most effective tools for connecting with consumers: sonic branding. Marketers often associate sonic branding with catchy mnemonics used by big brands like McDonald’s, Netflix and Intel in their advertising. But that is a very limited view of what sonic branding is and what it can do. Sonic branding is a way to build awareness and stimulate engagement across all touch points, from advertising to broadcast digital, in-person and social. And it’s not limited to members of the Fortune 500. Brands at all levels can benefit from a sonic identity that is memorable, engaging and reflective of its core values. Sound has been scientifically proven to be deeply tied to memory and emotion. There’s a reason that certain songs stick in your head and bring back memories formed years or even decades earlier. So, it’s surprising that sonic branding is often an afterthought in marketing plans. That is especially true in social media marketing. Faced with tight deadlines and strained budgets, creative teams are often tempted to select music for their content simply because it “fits.” Unfortunately, that may result in content that is in tune with what’s trending but is out of tune with brand identity. Effective sonic branding, by contrast, requires thoughtful strategic planning,... Read More