W+K Portland celebrates the myth of the American Dream in a new 60-second spot for Chrysler for the new 2015 Chrysler 300 entitled “The Kings and Queens of America,” narrated by Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage.
“There is no royal blood in this country,” Dinklage begins at the beginning of the ad, with strings playing dramatically in the background, “Nothing is reserved for anyone.” The narration is matched by expertly crafted shots of men and women staring out at city skylines. “It’s all just out there, waiting for someone to reach out and take it,” Dinklage continues. While the sentiment behind the ad ignores the reality that social mobility is actually higher in most European countries than it is in the U.S., this is advertising, not sociology. Dinklage’s voice acting (which, of course, is typically brilliant) delivers well-written copy and is matched perfectly by visually impressive footage, courtesy of director Samuel Bayer.
The effort launches a “Drive Proud” campaign for Chrysler, which will also span digital and print and focuses on celebrating “success through hard work across all walks of life, from entrepreneurs and small-business owners to self-employed contractors, designers and artists” and features Becky Hammon (NBA assistant coach, San Antonio Spurs), Alexis Ohanian (cofounder of Reddit), Phil Ivey (professional gambler/entrepreneur), Kwaku Alston (photographer) and Caroline Styne (restaurant owner). Of course, the timing of the launch couldn’t be better either, with the imminent debut of season five of Game of Thrones making Dinklage’s involvement pure gold.
Credits:
W+K PORTLAND
Creative Directors Aaron Allen / Kevin Jones
Copywriter Alex Romans
Art Director John Dwight
Broadcast Producer Endy Hedman
Art Producer Grace Petrenka / Amy Berriochoa
Strategic Planning Cat Wilson / Sarah Biedak
Media/Comms Planning Alex Barwick
Account Team Cheryl Markley / Lani Reichenbach / Stephanie Montoya
Business Affairs Karen Murillo
Project Management Jane Monaghan / Annie Quach
Executive Creative Directors Joe Staples / Mark Fitzloff
Head of Production Ben Grylewicz
PRODUCTION
Production Company HSI
Director Samuel Bayer
Executive Producer Roger Zorovich
Line Producer William Green
Director of Photography Samuel Bayer
Photographer Samuel Bayer / John Clark
EDITORIAL
Editorial Company Joint
Editor Nicholas Davis
Assistant Editors Kristy Faris
Post Producer Leslie Carthy
Post Executive Producer Patty Brebner
VFX
VFX Company Joint
Lead Flame Artist Katrina Salicrup
Flame Artist David Stern
Smoke Artist David Jahns
VFX Producer Alex Thiesen
MUSIC + SOUND DESIGN
Songs “Blood and Stone”
MIX
Mix Company Joint
Mixer Noah Woodburn
Producer Sarah Fink