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If you want to recreate that iconic scene from Titanic—you know the one—you’ll need to pay special attention to the nautical miles-per-hour of your ship.
If you don’t, you could end up like this poor couple, trying their level best to romance each other (a la Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio) but succeeding mostly in just sucking wind.
“Fast ship, slow kiss” is not a great advertisement for Jack and Rose wannabes, but it’s a killer commercial for Fjord Line’s new super-fast ferry that goes from Norway to Denmark in just over 2 hours.
The work, from POL Oslo, taps into a phenomenon that’s been happening on boats of all kind for the past few decades, ever since Titanic swept the Oscars and made box office history.
Coming out of lockdown and all its related stresses on the travel industry, creatives decided to have some fun with the Titanic ethos, showing just how difficult it would be to strike the ill-fated lovers’ pose on a high-speed catamaran called the Fjord FSTR.
“Why not meet the tough times with some non-Covid-themed, light-hearted humor?” copywriter Robert Radoli told Adweek.
To set the proper mood, the team tried to license the epic film’s well-known theme song, “My Heart Will Go On,” but it wasn’t available. Instead, they used a cover version of Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up,” hiring the Eastern European Symphonic Orchestra and musical artist Lisa Stokke “to get the right vibe and the big Celine Dion-esque voice,” Radoli said.
And while there were visual effects used on the ship and sea, creatives went slow-motion and old school to get the couple’s wind-whipped and ridiculous facial expressions. No fancy equipment was required.
“Just the most powerful leaf blower we could find” pointed directly at the actors, Radoli said. “No CGI.”
The campaign comes a few months after POL Oslo, again leaning into its cheeky sense of humor, was one of several agencies that clapped back at General Motors and Will Ferrell for Super Bowl ads that poked fun at their Scandinavian home country. POL’s spots for Audi, with the tagline, “Don’t hate. Imitate,” starred Kristoffer Hivju, best known for playing Tormund Giantsbane on Game of Thrones.
CREDITS:
Agency: POL
Art Director // Thorbjørn Ruud
Copywriter // Robert Radoli
Copywriter // Petter Bryde
Designers: Thomas Eklo Skaara
Account Executive: Marius Eriksen
Project Manager: Silje Linge
Brand/Client: Fjord Line
Client: Richard Thinghaugen
Client: Trine Lise Woldbæk
Production Company Tinagent
Director: Sigve Aspelund
Producer: Guy Haddeland
VFX: Gimpville
