It’s the 60th anniversary of the famous racing watch, TAG Heuer Carrera. But it won’t be getting a nostalgic history ad. DDB Paris has given it a classic chase drama – with a Ryan Gosling twist. The star won’t give the watch back after filming the anniversary commercial – so he runs. And so begins an action-packed piece of entertainment that lives up to Hollywood standards, filled with crazy stunts, racing cars, adrenaline and humour.
The five-minute film was directed by Nash Egerton and produced by Daivd Leitch, who is responsible for some of the most famous action films of the last decade, from John Wick to Deadpool 2 and last year’s Bullet Train.
“TAG Heuer Carrera is one of the most iconic collections, not only for TAG Heuer but in the whole watchmaking world. It was designed by Jack Heuer himself in 1963 and inspired by the Carrera Panamericana, a very dangerous road race in Mexico. Some of the greatest drivers in history have worn it. So we wanted to celebrate its 60 years with something really special,” stated George Ciz, chief marketing officer, TAG Heuer.
“We decided to choose a very different tone of voice for this commercial because TAG Heuer has always been a ground-breaking brand, one that dares to do things differently. We wanted to pay homage to this spirit by creating communication that is as bold as the Carrera and goes beyond advertising and beyond traditional watchmaking tropes,” added Alexander Kalchev, chief creative officer, DDB Paris.
Why Ryan Gosling? Well one, because he’s Ryan Gosling. But more importantly because he is the perfect incarnation of the Carrera mindset. Always pushing the boundaries of what you would expect from him. In the film, he plays a character who never gives up, embodying the spirit of endurance summed up by the campaign baseline, The race never stops.
Easter eggs referring to Carrera’s history are blended into the story for aficionados – the Porsche Carrera driven by Ryan Gosling, cameos of a young Jack Heuer and famous driver, Jacqueline Evans De Lopez, dates hidden in the set and old Panamericana posters.
The film was launched like the next blockbuster starring Ryan Gosling, with cinematic teasers, trailers, posters and short capsules to keep the conversation going. The campaign will run all yearthrough OOH, print and exclusive content on all social media platforms (behind the scenes, videos, bloopers, memes…)
Credits:
Client: Tag Heuer
Chief Marketing Officer: George Ciz
Creative Communication Director: Pascal Tea
Creative Content Manager: Jonathan Biancarelli
Global Social Media Manager: Camilla Barbezat
Senior Brand Manager: Samuel Adams
Global Ambassadors Director: Mickael Berend
Agency: DDB Paris
Chief Creative Officer: Alexander Kalchev
Art Directors: Yassine Ouadah Tsabet, Nicolas Denis
Copywriter: Benoît Oulhen
Print Graphic Designer: Pierre Jungers
Production Director: Fabien Donnay
TV Post Producer: Jérôme Deplatiere
Print Post Producer: Christine Retaux
Manufacturing Manager: Laurent Daniel
Business Lead: Soraya Cottin
Business Director: Marie-Géraldine Prodhomme
Account Executive: Agnès Wong-Chung
Account Executive Assistant: Martin Delaine
Strategic Planning: Sébastien Genty, Violette Van-Den-Berg
Director: Nash Edgerton
Photographer: Mark Rogers
Production Company: Collider
Producer: David Leitch
Sound Studio: Studio 5
Post-Production Video: The Mill
Editor: Yves Beloniak
Post-Production Print: Inside Gutenberg
