Hollywood actor Owen Wilson stars in P&O Cruises’ latest campaign via BMF Australia
P&O Cruises has teamed up with Hollywood star Owen Wilson to launch its two latest ships – Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden – which will join the cruise line’s fleet in November this year.
Wilson, famed for his roles in Zoolander, Meet The Parents and Wedding Crashers, is the star of the short-film trilogy, titled ‘The Conspicuous Awakening of Owen Wilson’, created by BMF.
Directed by Tom Dey (Shanghai Noon; Failure to Launch), each film shows Wilson enjoying the ships’ great features, through a series of dream-like and humorous flashbacks.
Says Simon Cheng, head of marketing and distribution, P&O Cruises: “Hollywood, like Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden, exudes style and sophistication, so it was to Hollywood we looked to help launch these ships. We wanted the right star – someone easy going and lots of fun, just like the experience Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden will offer. In Owen we found our perfect partner.”
Says Cam Blackley, executive creative director, BMF: “This is a client that is not only redefining what a cruise ship looks like but also how they communicate to their target audence. It was a privilege for us to write a piece like this and to do the onboard vibe as much justice as the new fit-outs.”
Says Steve McArdle, managing director, BMF: “P&O Cruises briefed us to develop something that had real scale and social currency. Bringing together the ‘Be Free Earthlings’ idea and one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, felt like a pretty good place to start.”
Says Wilson: “It’s a really fun, sophisticated atmosphere. Different to the cruise ship ideal that maybe your grandparents would have experienced. It’s pretty tough to top the ship’s Blue Room.”
The stylised content series begins with Wilson emerging from a deep slumber, disorientated and unclear of his whereabouts, whilst nestled in the lap of a beautiful Australian ‘Cruiseling’.
The first and second short films have been launched today on befreeowen.com.au. Part three will be released tomorrow. The campaign includes: film, content, digital, social, PR and an exclusive on-set interview with Wilson himself.
Creative Agency: BMF
PR Agency: Frank PR
Media Agency: MediaCom
Executive Creative Director: Cam Blackley
Art Director: Nicole Hetherington
Copywriters: Simon Fowler, Jonty Bell, Cam Blackley
Head of Design: Lincoln Grice
Planning Director: Hugh Munro
Planner: Sarah Hood
Group Account Director: Kura Tyerman
Account Director: Will Woods
Account Manager: Meg Mabin
Agency Producer: Jenny Lee-Archer
Director: Tom Dey
Production Company EP: Sean Blair
Producer: Alejandra Quesada
Production Company: Native Content
Post Production: The Editors
Editors: Bernard Garry and Laurence Van Camp
Sound and Music: Rumble Studios
DoP: Eduard Grau
P&O Cruises – Senior Vice President: Sture Myrmell
P&O Cruises – Head of Marketing and Distribution: Simon Cheng
P&O Cruises – Head of Consumer Marketing: Melissa Grech
P&O Cruises – Manager – Brand & Marketing Communications: Nicola Wyllie
36 Comments
Nice but there is no need to keep hammering the audience with ‘Owen Wilson, Owen Wilson, Owen Wilson’. We know who he is. If there are some who don’t …they won’t care anyway.
did someone forget that drugs and cruising were a bad idea?
The typography is nice.
First comment on youtube says it all: what the fxxx is this….
Bloody beautiful!
Wasn’t it a P&O cruise where a woman died of a drug overdose?
Truly fucking terrible
Ad w&nkers talking to ad w&nkers..
Surprising and good. B$tches will be b$tches
Nice idea. Beautifully crafted.
Actually really enjoy the pace of this, it’s how a cruise should feel. Never thought I’d find a cruise appealing.
P&OOH.
Truth be told, the audience that these videos have been crafted for wouldn’t ever dream of taking a P&O cruise.
I’m all for bagging out bad work.
But the above comments just go to prove that the blog is full of jealous haters.
Good work BMF. These are great.
No-one is in doubt the films are beautiful and have star power, it;s just they’re a bit like taking your Aston Martin to a demolition derby: just because you can it doesn’t mean you should.
People like Pee &Oh are the bane of this industry.Arrogant know-it-alls who think they have superior knowledge in every category.Do you not think the agency and the client undertook research?Do you not think BMF had some very smart strategists working on this campaign?Who the f#%& are you to question what the audience would or wouldn’t do.
Well, it’s about time a cruise ad didn’t feature a sickeningly happy couple and their feral kids enjoying the all-you-can–eat buffet and water slide. I like that it’s weird and ridiculous. You have to be both those things to enjoy a cruise.
The Art Direction is awesome. The films are confusing.
Poorly paced and kinda flat. I know Owen’s a dry guy but the jokes are barely there.
Ok. I’m as confused as the rest of you but what I take away is this:
1. P&O is a cruise full of hot chicks and date rape drugs, but that’s ok because the chicks drug the men.
2. There are some awesome things on that cruise ship, plus drugs and hot chicks.
3. Owen Wilson
4. Cruise ship looks pretty amazing especially when you consider there are hot chicks date raping blokes on there. For a chick it’s not cool, but for a bloke it’s the ultimate fantasy.
5. I watched both episodes the whole way through when I could only watch about a minute of the former PM’s resignation speech.
So if they hold your attention and tell you P&O is an awesome cruise experience full of weird k-holes what’s to hate?
I really like these. And probably for all the reasons all the haters hate them. I can, and will live with that.
I’m not sure what the point is. Using a big name actor is a way to guarantee views, granted but it’s not good enough content to get shared, and it’s not going to convert non cruisers.
The gags are laboured, the ship doesn’t get much airtime and the flashback, trippy drug references fly a little close to the wind for a company with its history.
The Cruiselings thought is a great one, but this is the difficult second album that tries too hard and misses the mark. They had a crack though and at least the client bought something that didn’t have 20 proof points and punny tagline.
Amazing work – well done !
These undertake the very difficult task of reframing cruising in an interesting, engaging way. What’s not to like?
Jim and Ryan!
http://imgur.com/UIBTsg8
Bold move here by BMF.
Good stuff Cam & Co
Probably the best thing I’ve seen this year. Great idea, beautifully written, superb direction and casting, nicely paced and all round excellent production values. But most important – they totally reframe the category into something akin to the wonderful ‘Orient Express’ world of class and sophistication.
To all the haters, you really don’t understand the power of creativity.
Well done BMF. And congratulations must go to the brave client. How refreshing to see they still exist, here on Earth.
When you do something different the hacks always have to have a dig. Good work BMF, this is different from the usual cruise ship advertising out there.
Whatever it was I LIKE it. Good job guys.
Nicely shot. But the writing is dreadful, way to give one of Hollywood’s best dialogue guys a terminal case of boring, pointless verbal anal leakage. Could’ve been interesting. Instead is bloated and confusing. Credit to the client and BMF for spending the money and trying.
It’s the most considered, well crafted set of films i’ve seen in a long time.
Will it get people on ships?
Not sure.
Hopefully it does and wins an Effie and we can all thank BMF for getting this industry out of one of it’s most horrible creative slumps yet.
Proof that Australia still has no idea how to make good content.
Very nicely art directed.
A little confused though, is this an actual drug trip or am i missing something?
Cringeworthy…