Two not what you’d expect figure skaters perform an ice choreography while their coach chants an anthem – which is, in fact, Jon Henrik’s Swedish folk track, Reindeer Herder, edited to create an eerily atmospheric soundtrack.
Saatchi & Saatchi London’s first global brand campaign for Rekorderlig is strikingly strange, oddly classy and quintessentially Swedish.
The aim is to make the world aware premium cider, Rekorderlig, exists. And because it’s an online campaign, getting the video shared is a big part of the picture. The video’s Silver Skaters (they’re old men) and evangelical chant has a rather good chance of achieving that.
Andy Jex, executive creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi, said, “We just couldn’t agree on who was the best person to bring the Beautifully Swedish line to life – The blonde from Abba or the brunette from Abba? We ended up compromising with a pair of ice skating retro Vikings. History can be the judge.”
“The idea was born out of the thought that there is something beautifully invigorating & refreshing about seeing someone skating on ice on a sunny day when the sky is blue. The skaters feel unusual, while genuine to the Swedish environment, Saatchi & Saatchi explained.
Music makes this ad work. The job of making the music work was given to Grand Central’s Munzie Thind. “To bring this quirky, delightful spot to life, I created the sound effects on a block of ice using metal bars. Paring back the sound design to the bare minimum delicately highlighted the big stunts. Getting the music right was probably the biggest challenge, as it’s so big and powerful. The first half of the film consists of vocals, a baseline and a few drums.”
The film was directed by Andreas Nilsson – the director of Epic Split and Dadsong, David Guetta’s Play Hard featuring Akon and Ne-Yo:
2 Chainz Birthday Song featuring Kanye West:
and The Fight for Telenor:
The full campaign includes a 60 second film, a 30 second cut down, and 12 additional edits forming the social campaign retargeting consumers across Instagram and Facebook. The work launches online on July 10 and will then run internationally in cinema, online, OOH and in-store.
Kieron Barton, managing director at Chilli Marketing, commented, “For us the cider category has become a little predictable on TV and we felt it needed something to invigorate it. Saatchi’s intuitively felt this communication should feel utterly ‘Beautifully Swedish’. This shifts the focus from a somewhat staid approach for cider brands with apples and pears falling from trees, to a much more emotional one. The end result is an epic sensory overload with a soundtrack that is both haunting and euphoric. The whole thing leaves you wanting more.”
Creative credits:
Advertising agency: Saatchi & Saatchi London
Executive creative directors: Andy Jex & Rob Potts
Copywriter/art director: Adam Chiappe
Digital creative director: Dan Rutherford
Digital directors: Lloyd Salmons & Ant Cauchi
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Andreas Nilsson
Editing: Cut & Run
Post production company: Electric Theatre Collective
Audio post production: Munzie Thind & Grand Central
