In Sweden, Cinnamon Bun Day is a thing. The country celebrates this beloved pastry with enthusiasm on October 4.
This year, Sweden’s largest convenience store chain, Prezzburoni (otherwise Pressbyrån) and agency, Åkestam Holst NoA, are revving up the annual excitement with an ‘80s Italo-disco vibe.
It begins with the song:
And extends to cinnamon bun-friendly versions of classic Italian brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino and Roberto Cavalli, channeling the ‘80s signature-tricks-of-the-trade in OOH.
“We ignored the fact that Swedish cinnamon buns have nothing in common with ‘80s Italian fashion. As a matter of fact, we embraced it. The idea was to sell something cheap in the most expensive way possible,” stated Daniel Vaccino, creative director at Åkestam Holst.
The agency also added a layer of pure fiction to the campaign, creating half a million views in just days – for a live-performance-clip from disco-duo, P. Buroni. The video was presented as a nostalgic gem from the 1980s Italian Tv-show VAI. Only, it wasn´t.
The film was actually shot three weeks ago by Åkestam Holst NoA with director, Christoffer Von Reis at Von Film, using legit ‘80s technology to re-create the authentic vintage broadcast look.
Joakim Khoury, creative director and producer of the Song, explained, “Shooting and editing on old broadcast gear was great. None of the control, but all the analog noise. In the end it was worth it, just to capture those perfect imperfections of ‘80s live-tv.”
In short, Åkestam Holst NoA created an entire Italian ‘80s-popcultural universe for the campaign. The fictional band, P. Buroni, comes equipped with a made-up record company with its very own imaginary roster of ‘80s Italian acts – including names such as Spazzze, Falcone Primera and 61-Controler.
Joakim Khoury added, “On a top level, it’s just a fun way of saying Cinnamon Buns for $1, but there is a lot of stuff going on under that. Hopefully people will be intrigued enough to spend some time on the campaign. Regardless, a think a dash of confusion is always a nice ingredient.”
One thing that’s not made-up in this year’s campaign, is the distribution of the song. The Radio-Edit of Bullatella Cannelle is currently climbing charts on multiple streaming platforms – and has been re-mixed by Norwegian artist, Prins Thomas. Also, a limited-edition vinyl will be released in celebration of the big day itself, cinnamon bun day on October 4.
Credits:
Client: Reitan Convenience Sverige [Prezzburoni]
Agency: Åkestam Holst NoA
Creative Directors: Joakim Khoury, Daniel Vaccino
Creatives: Folke Kühlhorn, Henrik Billing
Agency Producer: Magnus Kennhed
Account Manager: Bella “Bellalissimo” Lagerquist
Client Director: Natalie Pehar N’doye
Motion Designer: Mattias Nordenham
Creative Designer: Sara Bellafesta
Social Media Director: Anna “Olivkvisten” Olivemark
Planner: Patrik Lundberg
Comms Planner: Sebastian Stüben
Music Producer: Joakim Khoury
Background Musicians: Folke “Fire” Kühlhorn & Henrik “Ice” Billing
Production Company: von Film
Director: Christoffer von Reis
Executive Producer: Peter Kydd
DOP: Jakob Möller
Service Production Company: Martini
Line Producer: Alexandru Iliescu
Offline editor: Johan Blom
Post-Production: Gangsters Post
Creative Manager på Sony Music Publishing: Victor Waldås
