Citroën has starred in some spectacular car chases – in movies as well as its own commercials. But can any of them beat a bear car chase? BETC has put the Citroën C3 Aircross in the centre of a car chase with a horde of wild bears who decide they’d prefer to enjoy the outdoors from the comfort of the car. The idea comes from real life. Bears are crazy about comfort. The internet has the evidence to prove it.
And yes, the commercial is a memorable way to highlight the car’s comfort as well as its out-in-the-wild personality.
BETC’s very realistic stunt bears were created entirely in CGI by German studio, b-Epic. “We wanted the bears to be really lovable. So that you almost feel bad for them that they haven’t caught the car – even if that would have almost certainly meant the untimely demise of our Citroen drivers,” explained Nick Bakshi, BETC creative director.
This cinematic campaign worthy of a Hollywood production, owes much to its directing duo, Dorian & Daniel and production company, Zauberberg Production, whose gorgeous love story, The Spider and the Window, for Samsung won two Gold Lions and one Silver Lion at Cannes. The duo also directed four USP videos for the campaign with a bold cartoony spirit, featuring the famous bears doing whatever it takes to enjoy the comfort of the new Citroën C3 Aircross. This 360-degree campaign will also include print and radio.
In social media, developed by BETC Fullsix, the campaign goes far beyond a mere adaptation by launching the career of the very first influencer bear. Having managed to get hold of a Citroën C3 Aircross, he uses Instagram and TikTok to introduce his fellow bears to all the details of the car, so much more comfortable than a cave for hibernation
The campaign aligns with Citroën’s recent works, such as The Alien for the new ë-C4, The Revolution for the new ë-C3, The Ice Ballet for the Professional Range – blending an epic and cinematic world with an extra-large helping of humour – and harkens back to the brand’s creative heyday when it was making famous commercials under the watchful eye of advertising legend, Jacques Séguéla.
The full campaign covers TV, cinema, radio, press, and digital. It launched on February 3 in Belgium and February 20 in France. It will extend next to Germany, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands and the UK.
Credits:
Client: Citroen
Client Team: Federico Goyret, Fabian Rodriguez, Sylvain Peraldi, Jean-Charles Vallet, Alexande Echaudemaison
Creative Agency: BETC Paris
Account Team: Bertille Toledano, Mehdi Benali, Benjamin Merllie, Marie-Gabrielle El Assad, William Roselie, Alice Farrando, Alice Bossard
Chief Creative Officer: Stephane Xiberras
Creative Director: Nick Bakshi
Copywriter: Sebastien Duhaud
Art Director: Charles Dessaux
Junior Art Director: Anthony Tavares
Creative Resources Coordinator: Kemi Zinsou
Strategic Planners: Etienne Averseng, Chloe Wren
TV Producer: David Green
Creative Producer: Magalie Dauleu
Production Company: Zauberberg
Director: Dorian & Daniel
DOP: Matias Boucard
Post Producers: Florence Delforge, Sarah Dufief
VFX Supervisor: Marta Carbonell Amela
Executive Producers: Juliane Ellrich
Producer: Ulrich Kreis
Song: I Don’t Want to Live Without Your Love by Chicago
