Most of Wieden+Kennedy’s work for Southern Comfort in the “Whatever’s Comfortable” campaign has focused on real-life people enjoying their own…discomfort. The most recent U.K. extension of the work, for example, showcased a few blokes getting their spray tan on.
For its latest all-digital project for the client, W+K New York went even further afield. It turned to the are-they-brilliant-or-insane Taiwanese animation studio Next Media Animation, or the very company behind those animated news summaries that late-night hosts love so much (think Tiger Woods).
In the first spot “Big Chant,” a vacationing bro finds himself compelled by a certain one-word catchphrase. Note the man behind the curtain at the end.
“Dog Bro” is even more disorienting, what with its human-faced dog and perfectly diverse back deck party.
Next, your animated Serena Williams stand-in definitely did not take a shot of SoCo before this match.
Here’s an interesting way for a virtual bartender to tell customers not to drive after they’ve been shooting the stuff.
Finally, superheroes from every major galaxy and a group of peace-loving pigeons agree that the best way to drink bottom-shelf liquor is hard and fast…in shot form.
The idea is that consumers will yell themselves hoarse demanding a “shottaSoCo” from their friendly neighborhood enabler because you don’t want to pair any respectable mixer with this stuff. Have one before the game, during the game, after the game, on the ride home from the game…you get it.
Why Taiwanese animation, though? Money. From the agency:
“Without the expensive budgets and timelines you’re working with when creating a television spot, we were able to experiment more creatively and take some chances.”
W+K turned the ideas for these ads over to the animators themselves, who then interpreted them in their own style. That would explain why the resulting videos are so odd.
Expect to see these shorts pop up in your newsfeed in the days and weeks to come as your curious friends click and “ShottaSoCo” becomes this year’s (far less annoying) “Keep Calm.” Or not.
W+K NEW YORK
Executive Creative Directors: David Kolbusz and Jaime Robinson
Creative Directors: Jimm Lasser and Caleb Jensen
Copywriter: Luke Sacherman
Art Director: Rick Jacques
Associate Producer: Lisa Delonay
Senior Producer: Alison Hill
Account Team: Toby Hussey, Katie Hoak, Kerry O’Connell
Digital Strategist: Tom Gibby
Head of Production: Nick Setounski
Business Affairs: Justine Lowe
PRODUCTION
Production Company: Next Media Animation Ltd.
International Content Editor: Justin Eder
International Marketing Manager: Julie Huang
Creative Director: Eric Chang
DEVELOPMENT PARTNER
Partner Company: JOINT Editorial
Senior Producer: Michelle Carman
Assistant Editor: Stephen Nelson
Assistant Editor: JB Jacobs
Motion Graphics Director: Yui Uchida