We can all agree that Back to the Future 2 was a classic in the Mediocre Sequels genre–but the hoverboard was still pretty cool, wasn’t it? OK, but what the hell does every 10-year-old boy’s fantasy have to do with luxury sedans?
Thanks to CHI&Partners and client Lexus, we now have a slightly better idea. The agency’s new work launched yesterday, and it’s enough to make you channel Christopher Lloyd…or his recent appearance as Doc Brown in a LEGO video game promo.
The teaser campaign scored “thousands of pieces of international press coverage and sparked a worldwide debate on social media,” LOL–and here’s the final work starring Ross McGouran, better known as a pro skateboarder who isn’t named Tony Hawk.
Was that a hoverboard or a vaporizer? We also would have appreciated more angles of Mr. McGouran jumping over the conveniently located Lexus, but who are we, really?
Now that you’ve seen the product placement, here’s the backstory:
See, that was pretty interesting: fucking magnets, how do they work?!
The project is the fourth in CHI&Partners’ “Amazing in Motion” series for the client. Creative Director Monty Verdi writes:
“We’re immensely proud of ‘SLIDE’. Both Lexus and CHI&Partners have invested a huge amount of endeavour, determination and courage in this project – and together we’ve overcome enormous production and technical challenges to break new boundaries in science and technology.”
This board is not a practical consumer product by any stretch of the imagination, but then neither is the Apple Watch.
So it’s not quite McFly-worthy, though it does share the 1989 version’s ability to “walk” on water. Critics aren’t onboard, calling it “a clever ruse” made more impressive by some drone-powered camera tricks.
Still, we’ll definitely remember this work the next time we consider buying a Lexus, which will be never.