At a time when it’s easier than ever to say no to going out, Sunday Gravy and DiDi’s more affordable rides are giving Aussies and Kiwis a handful of very compelling reasons to go out more, in a 3-minute campaign commercial that’s a FOMO-inducing walk on the wild side.
At the heart of the campaign is Nudgy, a mischievous, flute-playing character who shows up right when you’re about to call it a night. And so begins a surreal trip, a hazy and slightly unhinged memory of a night out, where a group of friends are lured from scene to scene by Nudgy and a string of DiDi rides – with director, Jim Hosking’s absurdist visual style imbuing the film with a tone that’s unsettling, unforgettable…and a clarion call for fun and mischief.
The campaign, Yes, I DiDi, places DiDi in culture and across a range of media channels. The hero film is designed for flexibility. The modular structure allows hundreds of short-form edits to fall out of the film, each crafted to nudge people at key social moments, from Friday night footy to Sunday kick-ons. Nudgy will shows up wherever he’s needed, across social, radio, OOH, partnerships and activations.
Tim Farmer, CMO of DiDi Australia & New Zealand, stated, “Yes, I DiDi is more than a tagline – it’s an invitation. We’re giving Aussies and Kiwis a reason to say yes to more moments, more nights out, more memories, all made possible by DiDi’s value and reliability. We have planned a campaign that plugs directly into the key rideshare moments – both creatively and in terms of media channels and environments, and we are beyond excited to further build on DiDi’s growing presence in market.”
The campaign was generating conversation even before launch. Unbranded footage from the shoot, showing Nudgy perched atop a bar in Sydney, surfaced on TikTok and Instagram, amassing over 50 million views and sparking widespread speculation about who was behind the clip, embedding DiDi into culture before a single paid media dollar was spent.
Sunday Gravy co-founder and CCO, Ant White, commented, “While it may look slightly insane, and it did take an extremely brave client in Tim Farmer to back the campaign, every element has been meticulously crafted to build brand distinctiveness through a new design system. From sonic branding to the creation of Nudgy as repeatable character, our goal is to stand out and stick in people’s minds.”
Sunday Gravy creative leads, Max Kennedy and Sam Whatley, added, “Nudgy’s world has been crafted with intent, from costume design and heavy prosthetics to set design and original music, every detail is deliberately tactile so it stands out in a world increasingly dominated by automation.”
Credits:
Agency: Sunday Gravy
Production Company: Hooves
Director: Jim Hosking
Producer: Renae Begent
Executive Producer: John Pace
DOP: Jeremy Rouse
Editor: Mark Burnett @ The Editors
Casting Director: Natalie Jane Harvie @ Citizen Jane Casting
Costume Design: Liv Simpson
Art Director: Sam Lukins
Prosthetics, Hair & Makeup Design: Anastasia Pappas @ Odd Studio
Grade: Fergus Rotherham
Online: Eugene Richards
Music & Sound Design Electric Sheep
