STORIES:
HITS x MISSES
Case studies tell the business story. But the human stories behind the work are sometimes even more interesting.
Case studies tell the business story. But the human stories behind the work are sometimes even more interesting.
But it wasn't easy. And the client wasn’t interested. Too complicated. No director would do this. The studios won’t go for it. A year later we had a new client. We still loved the idea. So we pitched it again. Same response. A year after that, another new client. Another pitch. This time, they responded with a question.
Love the idea. But a film might be asking too much. What about a music video?
We hadn't thought of that. Maybe? We called our talent partner. We need a big artist who wants to shoot a new music video and give all the footage away. Got one? Instead of laughing, they called us back. How about Imagine Dragons? They've got a new song called Believer. They love the idea.
We did it. It was a hit on many levels. But long after the trophies started collecting dust, the lessons are still fresh.
Great ideas are worth pursuing. Be persistent. Be flexible.
Adobe x Imagine Dragons // Case Film
Cruise had a challenge. Their self-driving robotaxi service was still in beta, with little practical utility. But the business needed to start charging for rides. Besides the novelty factor, what's a reason to pay for a slightly buggy, self-driving ride with long wait times?
Nothing.
Ok, not nothing, but the absence of something. A driver. See, many people feel uncomfortable getting into an Uber or taxi with a stranger at the wheel. Especially women. Cruise is driverless. Passengers get their own private space. The car doesn't talk, stare, or judge. Everyone is welcome to relax and just be themselves.
In other words, you are free to Cruise as you are.
Cruise as you are was given the green light. But bringing it to life wasn't easy. We couldn't call out drivers as a problem. They're not villains. But how do you express a positive that's literally a negative?
We focused on the space inside. Unlike getting into someone else's car, a Cruise is your space. It becomes an extension of you while you ride.
We created three characters, each representing an audience that frequently feels unsafe in Ubers or taxis. Using animation, we'd give the characters uniquely colorful auras representing their personality. Once inside a Cruise, the auras would spread throughout the car – the space mirroring the passenger.
But combining live action with animation is difficult and expensive. A story that sounded simple became confusing on screen. And some felt our target audience was too narrow.
No one loved the final cuts, which fell short of our vision. Not that it would have mattered. Increased road safety concerns refocused everyone's attention back on the tech. There would be no V2. A year later Lyft picked up our insight and launched Women+ Connect.
So what are the lessons?
Sometimes even great ideas fail. You can still be proud of the work. Good insights often resurface somewhere else. And you can be proud of that, too.
Cruise As You Are // :30
This story doesn't fit any category or methodology. It was an off-the-wall idea pitched to one of the biggest, most valuable, most meticulously curated global brands.
The Pumpkin Spice Latte was Starbucks' biggest seasonal product. Its arrival each fall was practically a national holiday. But the market was getting crowded. Hundreds of copycat products were popping up, diluting the moment that Starbucks created.
Multiple teams and agencies had been preparing for the upcoming season, expected to be the noisiest yet. The ideas were big, beautiful, and on brand. But none were clear winners. Valuable time slipped away. Ideas died as production schedules collapsed in on themselves. Our team was approached at the last minute. Did the lowly social agency have an idea up its sleeve? And could it be launched in a week?
Our always-practical and level-headed head of production responded with an idea that was equal parts pragmatic and bonkers. The pitch unfolded like a Wes Anderson script.
What if we did a nonstop four day livestream where we showed the world where pumpkin spice lattes come from?
You mean the Starbucks test kitchen?
No, a pumpkin patch. The first pumpkin spice latte of the season is hatched by a pumpkin.
What does the pumpkin do for four days?
It just sits there.
Do we need a website?
No, we'll use Facebook Live.
Can we go live in a week?
Yes.
Approved.
Just like that, The Pumpkin Spice Patch was hatched. It launched on time, on budget, and was a huge success. Forget art and science for a minute. Starbucks won the pumpkin spice war with a pragmatic and bonkers idea. And we won some unexpected lessons.
Great ideas can come from anywhere. Even the biggest brands can surprise you. Be pragmatic. Be bonkers.
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Patch // Case Film
T-Mobile, the un-carrier, was looking for an un-agency AOR to match their moxie.
Our agency was in mid evolution, fusing together comms, advertising, social, digital, etc. We wanted to amaze them with unexpected ideas. We'd be the most un-agency they'd ever seen. Never mind that the RFP laid out specific and fairly traditional comms and PR duties. We were going to overdeliver them into AOR ecstasy.
We flew in digital strategists, planners, and creative directors. The war room got so overcrowded we had to split off into factions. The ideas poured in. Not just tactics, but an entirely new brand campaign
Should we really be blowing up their brand platform? Won't that freak them out?
We're the un-agency! Let the dinosaurs respond with boring comms plans.
So many senior staffers joined the pitch, no one knew who was in charge. Our strategy film morphed into a three minute acid trip. The big idea grew four heads. When we finally walked into the T-Mobile offices, we had a pitch team of about fifteen, including a game show host in a T-Mobile magenta tie and a rapping DJ with turntables.
Our presentation was everything and nothing. No one knew what to do with our three ring circus. So we left without their business (or our dignity.) All that remained, besides the magenta tie, were lessons.
Bigger isn't better. Keep it simple. Answer the brief. No DJs. Just, no.
T-Mobile RFP // “Strategy” Film
Six months after the shelter-in-place, storytelling at Cruise, like at most companies, was dormant. But progress was still happening. The driverless technology had improved dramatically. There were milestones to be documented and more than 2,000 employees who needed something to celebrate.
Our tiny team, augmented by small production companies, began creating content. Mostly in the middle of the night.
Why at night? Cruise policy required backup drivers during the day, but at night the cars could go solo. There's less traffic and fewer people. So for nearly two years we filmed almost exclusively in the dark.
There was another challenge. Autonomous vehicles can't be remote controlled. They drive from point A to point B, choosing routes and making decisions in real time. They don't take direction from a film crew. To capture the footage we needed, we had three options.
1. Someone could drive the driverless cars. It sounds odd, but we did that sometimes. It meant filming from weird angles or digitally removing the drivers in post.
2. We could follow the cars around the city in expensive arm cars, or in regular cars with cameras poking out the windows. We called that safari shooting.
3. We could mount cameras on or in the driverless cars. Placement was limited though. Cruise cars are literally bristling with sensitive sensors, radar, lidar, and safety cameras. You can put a camera here, but not there, there, there, or there.
We had non-technical challenges, too. The growing resentment towards tech companies was very real for us. You can't throw a water bottle at Twitter, but you can throw one at a Cruise car. We got questioned, heckled, and harassed. Our team was robbed of their equipment twice. Once at gunpoint.
Add in the full range of COVID-era protocols and it really was a perfect storm. We lost track of the times we lost a crew member for the day thanks to a false positive. Anyone know how to set up lights?
But we were prolific. We captured every big moment and milestone. We shot at night and did post during the day. We experimented constantly. We didn't sleep much.
It was invigorating and fulfilling work. We had an energetic, talented, curious, and adaptable team. If you know anything about creative work, you know that chemistry is crucial. And we had that, too.
There weren't a ton of lessons here. This team, and what we accomplished, was really the beneficiary of all the lessons. After many years, this was the cash-in.
That said, a few lessons are worth repeating.
A small team of talented, motivated creatives can accomplish almost anything. Chemistry is crucial. Sometimes the most challenging times produce the most rewarding work. Thank your team every day. Don't forget to raise a glass together.
Internal video celebrating a new luxury: filming during the day!