GoPro is primarily known for its UGC style ads featuring extreme “found footage” of people or cameras falling from planes, snow skiing, surfing, etc. from unusually intimate angles.
In 2014 Fast Company went so far as to claim that the company was “changing advertising as we know it,” which really just means some of that old user generated content. This was the case with its first-ever Super Bowl ad, which was one of what we truly believe to be thousands of spots set to “Blitzkrieg Bop.”
Today saw the company’s inaugural scripted ad, part of a campaign that was created in-house but made use of “insight” provided by Goodby Silverstein & Partners. It will probably feel familiar.
Today Adweek reports: “It was the first time GoPro worked with an agency, and while Goodby didn’t directly work on the spot, its insight was as a catalyst for considering moving into scripted spots.”
The intro and end of the ad were scripted, with the rest created by users and edited by GoPro’s in-house team, which made all of its previous spots. SVP of marketing Bryan Johnston didn’t go into detail about the role GS&P played in developing the campaign, but he did say that the agency didn’t work on it directly: “We’re a camera, so I like to say they helped us open the aperture.”
This is the first in a series of 5 spots that will roll out globally from now through the first quarter of 2017. They will all be digital and focus on different aspects of the product with the ultimate goal being — of course — more GoPro sales around the world.