Bundaberg Red – make your smooth
Leo Burnett, Sydney has produced a 90-second spot is for Bundaberg Red, Red Gum Filtered, real smooth rum, directed by Paul Middleditch via Plaza Films. The commercial is a masculine melodrama – a showdown between two bourbon drinkers who think they’re smooth and the new Bundy Bear, who’s really bloody smooth.
CREDITS:
PRODUCTION: PLAZA FILMS
– Production Company: PLAZA FILMS
– Director: PAUL MIDDLEDITCH
– Producer: PETER MASTERTON
AGENCY: LEO BURNETT SYDNEY
– Andy DiLallo (Executive Creative Director)
– Tim Green (Art Director)
– Rupert Taylor (Copywriter)
– Peter Bosilkovski (Client Services Director)
– Kirsty Reynolds (Senior Business Director)
– Sam McGown (Senior Business Manager)
– Adrian Shapiro (Executive Producer)
– Rita Gagliardi (Agency Producer)
POST PRODUCTION:
– Offline editorial: THE EDITORS
– Editor: PETER WHITMORE
– CGI/Online: ANIMALOGIC
– Shoot Supervisor: Scott Hunter and Laurent Makowski
– 3D Lead: Scott Hunter
– Producer: Kate Stenhouse
– Concept Art: Don Ezard
– Model: Andrew McDonald
– Rig: James Dunlop
– Fur: Feargal Stewart, Manuel Macha and Michael Goddard
– Fur FX: Matt Jones
– Surfacing: Mark Serena
– Tracking: Tristan Connors
– Animation: David Hansen and Joe Helmore
– Lighting: Manuel Macha, Laurent Makowski, Mark Robinson
– Nuke: Jess Burnheim and Guido Wolter
– Flame: Leon Woods
MUSIC/SOUND
– Music composition: SONG ZU
– Composer: RAMESH SATHIAH
– Producer/MD Song Zu: IAN LEW
– Sound mix: SOUND RESERVOIR
– Sound engineer: BARRY STEWART
– Producer- Sound Reservoir: JODIE VIGNES
53 Comments
this is a bourbon blog, and rum ain’t smooth
big dog’s weiner?
Brilliant. Love it.
and there I was thinking the animatronic polar bear looked stupid………
Wow that’s shit. And the bear looks so cheap – like a white Shrek.
A 90 second spot. Wow!
Awful!
Yeah, nup
i saw a movie once too
Ah ok. Nicely shot. Payoff will hit me tomorrow methinks… or mebe not like…
it was boring the first time, god knows please don’t let me watch it twice. Extravagant nonsense
There is no reason to like this.
Creatively.
Strategically.
Executionally.
What a terrible waste of time.
I want you to apologise Leo Burnett.
The Good, the Bad and the Shite.
“So who are our target market?”
“Dickheads”
Is that the polar bear from Lost? Because it makes about as much sense.
Makes me wanna play Red Dead Redemption.
The Bad, the Worse and the Ugly.
i liked the bundy bear when he was more cuddly and not so ripped
terrible and boring and a waste of money. Epic fail.
“I’m so not excited… and I just can’t hide it.”
Why’d they kill the Bundy bear suit? It was an animatronic masterpiece, an institution.
Oh my.
Should have stuck with the guy in the bear suit. That CGI creation just looks wrong.
It’s aimed at Queensland you knobs.
They just like the bear, to them he is funny. I bet it works a plenty.
Plenty like Olives.
Bring back the guy in the bear suit… the 3D on this is shit. The bear suit would have worked much better than the hokey facial expressions of the cgi bear.
Apart from that though, I don’t find the spot too terrible. I even kind of like it… but I am far from loving it. I don’t think it is bad as everyone else is saying though. Someone somewhere might even drink it once because of this ad.
A western gunfight pastiche – fuck thats never been done before. Woeful.
Not sure who to blame here – but either way it’s Godawful
Sergio Leone would turn in his grave.
Reminds me of Mr Plow.
“Was that your ad daddy?”
“I don’t know!?”
Make your smooth… terrible line.
There’s way too much cheese in this spaghetti western.
‘Save the red gum’ Rupes, ‘save the red gum’. You know what I mean.
Andi needs jay
ouch.
What’s wrong with it? It’s great!
A polar bear pulls a can of the product from his ass and when he opens it two Mexican cowboys die.
It’s a foolproof strategy.
Oh dear that really is a bit wrong on sooooooo many levels….how embarrassing.
I hope the client was to blame because if it was the agency they deserve a bullet between the eyes.
if it was the client has already but a bullet in the chamber.
Love the band.
I’m struggling to believe that CGI came out of Animal!!!!!!!!!!!
leone + bronson + fonda + arcade fire = amazing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pyp34v6Lmcc
Great Casting!!!
I think the idea was well executed, considering the idea was so out there in the middle of “I want to win an award land”
I would love to see how it works as a 30sec cut on air amongst the noise.
Paul Middleditch deliveries are always solid.
I dig the band too..
Taking 3 goes to open you can of Bundy?
Not so smooth.
And ditch the CGI crap, people actually likes the guy in the bear suit.
Awesome. Great casting, great music, great location. New bear is cool too.
Love it.
I’m not so excited about this……..
surprisingly good.
Here is my list of things wrong with this ad:
– Uncreative pastiche rubbish
– Punny line – I mean c’mon – Make your smooth? Damn that’s bad
– Boring
– Bad 3D
– Unfunny
Here is my list of things that are right with this ad:
I had a look at the comments first and was expecting shite…but it ain’t hat bad at all. Although the CGI bear decision/execution is definitely a weak point.
Great casting, top look, funny pacing.
I thought they were going to shoot the shit band. That would have been rad.
After not liking this in ANY way at first, I’ve watched it a few more times and come to the conclusion that, apart from the CGI bear which may or may not be the right move, the overly forced TAGLINE is really the main offender here – even more so than the old well-worn Western concept.
‘Smooth’ just doesn’t substitute phonetically for ‘move’. It just doesn’t. (Unless there’s some cryptic pop culture reference here that I’m missing.) It would’ve been better to just let the bear be the funny guy to a dead straight line like: ‘Make it Smooth’ or even ‘Another Smooth Move’.
Anyone got a job # for this one?
I couldn’t wait to see the new Bundy ad.
In the past, the Bear has ruled…not so now. BIG DISAPPOINTMENT
Using the CGI bear was a big mistake…nothing funny or real about him.
The CGI looks cheap and crappy. I know you should smooth with the time…but give me the Guy in the Bear suit.
I think both Diageo and the agency have wasted both time and lots of money on this attempt.
SCRAP IT AND START AGAIN……
A couple of people have asked “What’s wrong with it?”. Here goes:
1, This is not interesting or engaging in any way. It’s too long and the comedic payoff is exceptionally weak. If I saw this 90 second spot more than once I would stab myself in the eye.
2. It’s a tired formula that doesn’t differentiate or cut through. A Western stand off is such a backward-looking setting that I’m amazed a brand that wants to modernise would even consider this.
3. It’s not in keeping with Bundy’s jovial, larrkin personality. If the strategy is to beat the Jack Daniels and Beams of the world, you don’t do ithat by trying to be them. This makes Bundy look like a bourbon try-hard. The trick is to find a way of being true to yourself in a more relevant way. And moreover, the American Western setting is again playing into bourbon territory. Bundy’s Australian for heaven’s sake!
4. It’s an executional nightmare. Horrible CGI, very recessive red gum references and the most ludicrous tagline I’ve seen in years.
That’s my starter for ten on “what’s wrong with it”…
I am the guy in the bear suit! done it nine years!
Bit sad about the fact that noone told me this was coming, oh well, been fun,
and if it all goes belly up, well id still like to do him, he was fun!!
But the trumpet player is sensational. Anyone know who it was?
Personally I always thought the old bear ads were crap.The bears were way too metro sexual. The ads were just crap beer ads with bears, aimed at and hitting the bottom (dumbest) of the market.
But then you rarely get anything positive from this forum. I love the way you all put shit on everyone elses work except your mates. We all know how few and far between good ideas are, followed by the difficulty selling them to the client and then getting the idea executed well etc. Maybe if you respected your own industry, the broader community might follow.
It took me weeks to figure out what this meant – before that it sounded awkward and irritated me every time I saw an ad or billboard. Now I just think it’s a bad ad.