Ad of the Day: Samsung

Voice commands and hand gestures don't just allow you to control the viewing experience on Samsung's latest Smart TV. They help you tame marauding hordes of wildebeests, aliens, Roman centurions, Maori warriors, American footballers … and the wildest of the wild: cheerleaders. It appears Samsung has not engineered a cool advance in TV technology here so much as a complete revolution in warfare. The Smart TV is intended to give viewers a cinematic experience. So, of course, these two 90-second spots are themselves cinematic. Directed (separately) by Adam Berg and Romain Gavras—two guys who know their way around a grand production or two—the "King of TV City" and "Charge" spots from CHI & Partners in London couldn't be more blockbuster-y. They both feature groups of attackers ripped from every action movie in history, each charging headlong at a single Samsung-buying dude, who seems vulnerable but in fact couldn't be more superhuman himself. In a way, the bigness of the spots is a disconnect from the features that are actually being advertised, which are relatively subtle—hand swipes and audio cues, which take the place of a remote control. When these features are demonstrated in the context of each ad—both guys simply swipe away danger—it comes off as … well, kind of silly. This is why, of the two spots, Gavras's "Charge" actually works a little better—because it's more fun-loving and goofier, from the bouncier soundtrack to the often-comical jockeying for position among the legions bearing down on our hero, plopping lazily in an armchair on the beach. (Outside of video games, that's certainly not a fighting posture.) Berg's spot, meanwhile, remains more serious throughout, perhaps to its detriment. (The teddy bear is cute, but he's ditched pretty quickly when the extraterrestrials arrive.) Both spots are expertly produced. They are very much mini movies, visually grand with jaw-dropping flourishes (the T. Rex in "King of TV City," the car flipping over in "Charge"). And by all accounts, the Smart TV technology is indeed impressive, so it's not like this is the world's most elaborate dog, pony and dinosaur show. For a global campaign, it's probably just the right size. If you are set upon by hundreds of millions of years of antagonists, though, do not try this at home. Bring a sword or something. [jwplayer 0WaBVNyK-1kT9Z8rj] [jwplayer gN3gIQBR-1kT9Z8rj] CREDITS Client: Samsung Agency: CHI & Partners, London Spot: "King of TV City" Executive Creative Director: Jonathan Burley Art Director: Alexei Berwitz Copywriter: Rob Webster Planners: Anthony Cox, Oli Egan Agency Producer: Alex Nicholson Account Handlers: Christian Hinchcliffe, Ana Saffer Media Agency: Starcom Media Planner: Erica Chen Director: Adam Berg Production Company: Stink Production Company Executive Producer: Blake Powell Production Company Producer: Ben Croker Production Company Manager: Christabelle Stone Director of Photography: Mattias Montero Visual Effects: MPC Visual Effects Producer: Chris Allen Visual Effects Supervisor: Franck Lambertz Grade: Mark Gethin Audio Postproduction: Jungle Studios Editor: Paul Hardcastle (Trim) Spot: "Charge" Creative Directors: Jonathan Burley, Rick Brim Art Director: Jay Phillips Copywriter: Neil Clarke Planners: Anthony Cox, Oli Egan Agency Producer: Caroline Angell Account Handlers: Christian Hinchcliffe, Ryan Colet Media Agency: Starcom Media Planner: Erica Chen Director: Romain Gavras Production Company: Somesuch&co Production Company Executive Producer: Tim Nash Director of Photography: Benoit Debie Visual Effects: MPC Visual Effects Producer: Ian Luxford Visual Effects Supervisor: Rob Walker Grade: Aline Sinquin Audio Postproduction: Sam Ashwell @ 750mph Editor: Jono Griffith @ Hagon

Brand Marketing

Ad of the Day: Samsung

CHI unleashes two cinematic blockbusters to push the brand's new Smart TV globally

Tim Nudd

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Tim Nudd