A film about challenging terrain that fights back is a heady ride. Motorcyclists may want to take on the rigours of riding through the Himalayas, but the Himalayas “have other plans”. The film is Droga5’s first campaign after winning the global ADV business mid-year launches Royal Enfield’s new motorbike, the Himalayan. The bike was designed for the unpredictability of the Himalayas, and the new platform takes inspiration from the ‘change of plan’ mindset that is required when traversing the infamous mountains.
The campaign film, directed by Academy Award winners, Martin Desmond Roe and Travon Free, features CS Santosh, professional Indian off-road and endurance rider, and Jesslina Nayyar, with the music production being led by Grammy Award winner, Lorne Balfe, and Dirty Soup.
“The film was conceived and created by the most incredible team of Royal Enfield clients, Droga5, Oscar winning director duo Martin Desmond Roe and Travon Free, and last but certainly not least, the Himalayan mountains. We could not have scripted the crazy and unpredictable elements that the mountain threw our way: the altitude sickness, the crazy weather conditions, the landslides, the beauty, but the Royal Enfield Himalayan was always prepped and primed to take on whatever the mountain had in store,” stated Shelley Smoler, chief creative officer, Droga5 London.
The accompanying photography, shot by Achille Mauri, captures this mindset with rugged shots of the new bike in action across the awe inspiring Himalayan mountain range, and a stunning set of editorial content for a launch ‘zine.
The campaign is the culmination of a stretch of launch activity from Royal Enfield including media rides in October, a full reveal at EICMA in November and a final launch moment at Royal Enfield’s Motoverse event in Goa. Droga5 London’s design language and films have acted as backdrop to all this activity. The campaign is now live in earnest with bikes available to buy in India from December, with Europe by the middle of next year.
“The all new Himalayan is a creature of its environment. Whatever your plans are, they’re likely to change. The team from Droga5 helped us catch this perfectly: glossy bike shots juxtaposed with the harsh reality of riding in the mountains, all tied together with the recurring reminder that the ‘mountain has other plans’. Paired with the distinctive and ownable design language, this campaign has captured the spirit of the all-new Himalayan – an equilibrium between man, machine and terrain. We love it,” commented Adarsh Saxena, global brand lead-adventure, Royal Enfield.
The full campaign includes a new design system, photography and film.
Credits:
Client: Royal Enfield
Chief Brand Officer: Mohit Dhar Jayal
Global Brand Lead: Adarsh Saxena
Brand Manager: Aiyappa Ponnappa
Program Manager: Naomi Mitchell
Creative Agency: Droga5
CCO: Shelley Smoler
Group Creative Director: Matt Hubbard
Creative Director: Ed Redgrave
Senior Creative – Pete Giblin
Creatives: Oscar Gierup, Cameron Turner-Lowe & Conor Hamill
Chief Strategy Officer: Damien Le Castrec
Planners: Aaron Harridge, Liv Francis Cornibert
Head of Design: Stephanie McArdle
Design Director: Matteo Alabiso
Designers: Anya Landolt, Julia Kuisma & Kateryna Kotikhina
Motion Designers: Mike O’Brien & Rob Wicksteed
Group Account Director: Josh Morgan
Account Director: Ben Allan
Head of Production: Peter Montgomery
Senior Producers: Tom Falck & James Plaxton
Head of Studio: Tim Larke
In-House Editor (BTS): Justin Stokes
Production Company: Dirty Robber
Directors: Martin Desmond-Roe & Travon Free
DOP: David Markun
Editor: Nick Frew
Executive Producer: Mickey Meyer
Producer: Nicholas Veneroso
Post-Producer: Matt Roe
Business Affairs: Karen Forchione
Local Production Company: Angles Unlimited India
Producers: Kanika Raheja & Sumit Sharma
Assistant Director: Ateet Chatta
Production Managers: Anuj Singh & Gilbert Mascarenhas
Production Coordinators: Chandni Tyagi & Chintan Pandey
Photography: Puro Management
Photographer: Achille Mauri
Photographer Assistant: Claudia Decaro
Offline Edit: The Quarry
Editors: Scot Crane & Julian Tranquille
Assistant Editor: Richard Goodger
Offline Producer: Tor Adams
Post Production: Electric Studios
Executive Producer: Ben Honour
Creatives: Geoff Parsons & Sam Tootal
Senior Producer: Tom Bogda
AFX & AI Artists: Pavel Ivanov, Domhnall Malone
Edit: Kingsley Bailey
Grade: Electric Colour
Colourist: Connor Coolbear
Producer: Rosie Corbett
Sound: 750MPH
Senior Sound Engineer: Mike Bovill
Head of Production: Olivia Ray
Senior Producer: Carla Thomas
Music: Dirty Soup
Score Producer: Lorne Balfe
Composer: Kiley Norton
Music Supervisor: Raife Burchell
