An elephant steals a red truck from a gas station and embarks on an epic journey into the big city, to the soundtrack of Laura Branigan’s Self Control. With maverick energy, she drives into the centre of Bangkok, drawn in from the countryside by the lure of the bright city lights.
That surely is “Entertainment Like You’ve Never Imagined”. The commercial, Trunk Trucker, the fourth in VCCP and Virgin Media O2’s To Better and Beyond campaign, is a visual metaphor for Virgin Media’s TV and entertainment offering. Just like in the previous three films, the hero represents how it feels to be with Virgin Media. Only this time, rather than fast, reliable broadband, it’s the awe and wonder of a world of entertainment that takes centre stage.
To make the striking 60-second spot, VCCP and Girl&Bear worked with multi-award winning director (DGA’s Director of the Year) Andreas Nilsson through Biscuit Filmworks, with hyper-realistic CGI once again crafted by Emmy and BAFTA award-winning Untold Studios.
The new commercial builds on the success of previous campaigns, Highland Rider, Goat Glider and Walrus Whizzer, with a shift of focus from broadband to entertainment.
The campaign will run across the UK until October, covering TV, video on demand, online video, out of home, radio and social, with media planning and buying by MG OMD.
Simon Valcarcel, marketing director at Virgin Media O2, stated, “Virgin Media is home to a breadth of unmissable entertainment across the UK’s most popular channels, apps and streaming services – from Sky Sports to Netflix and more, there’s something for everyone. Trunk Trucker brings that to life in a big, bold and memorable way, full of Virgin Media’s trademark energy and character.”
David Masterman, executive creative director at VCCP, added, “Promoting Virgin Media’s TV service gave us the perfect chance to have a bit more fun with the world we’ve built. This time, it’s the story of an opportunist elephant joyrider that leaves the countryside behind and heads into the city, because she’s heard it’s where all the best entertainment is. She’s as bold and unstoppable as the brand itself.”
Credits
Client: Virgin Media
Director Of Brand & Marketing: Rachel Swift
Marketing Director: Simon Valcarcel
Head Of Campaigns: Rich Bown
Senior Campaign Manager: Dominic Smith
Campaign Manager: Tami Olawumi
Senior Strategy & Planning Manager: Ricky Kane
Advertising Agency: VCCP
Chief Creative Officers: Jonathan Parker & Chris Birch
Executive Creative Director: David Masterman
Art Director & Copywriter: Tomás Azoubel Lima & Ana Marques
Senior Agency Tv Producer: Ed Mueller (Girl&Bear)
Managing Partner: Olivia Packshaw
Business Director: Alexandra Gluck
Account Director: Sarah Wells
Account Manager: Isabella Rubins
Chief Strategy Officer: Clare Hutchinson
Planning Director: Jennifer Cownie
Hero Film
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Andreas Nilsson
Producer: Lucy Gossage
Production Mananger: Emily Lucienne
Executive Producer: Daisy Mellors
Managing Director & Executive Producer: Rupert Reynolds-Maclean
Head of Production: Emily Atterton
Director of Photography: Lasse Frank
Local Service Company: Taprod
VFX Studio: Untold Studios
Audio Post-Production: 750mph
Integrated Campaign
Content Creation Studio: Girl&Bear
Photographer: Will Corry
Digital Operator: Roland Ismay
Retouching: Stanley’s Post
Post Production: Girl&Bear
Digital Agency: Bernadette
Media Buying Agency: Manning Gottlieb OMD
