These Eerily Lifelike Crash Test Dummies Aren't Quite What They Seem

Acura puts a fresh, unsettling spin on the crash-test-dummy concept in "The Test," an unorthodox but riveting minute-long film by Mullen Lowe that touts the automaker's safety record. Set in an eerie crash-testing lab with ominous ambient tones playing in the background, the spot opens with a technician wheeling four life-like figures toward an Acura MDX. At first, as he hefts them into the vehicle and carefully poses their limbs and heads, they appear to be incredibly lifelike crash test dummies. After a few moments, however, we realize these are, in fact, human beings who manage to remain expressionless and incredibly still. And the "driver" looks suspiciously like the crash-test technician. Just what is going on here? We get our answer about the same time the vehicle collides with the wall. It's a logical reveal that makes sense in context and really drives home Acura's message. Still, why take such an unorthodox approach to announce you've earned top safety ratings? "Most ads that use crash test dummies are very technical and cold in nature," a style Acura chose to upend in favor of a more emotional experience, Leila Cesario, national advertising manager at Acura, tells AdFreak. "We are communicating the seriousness of safety and the trust that people place in their vehicles when they put their families in their cars and send them off to work and school. This is an incredible responsibility that we fully understand and experience ourselves. In this spot, we are punctuating this emotional drive behind our safety achievements." Overall, "The Test," backed by a broader digital campaign created with Razorfish, earns high marks for taking familiar themes in an unexpected direction. The pervasive strangeness of the commercial, though—anyone feeling like a trip to Madame Tussauds?—might blunt its impact for some folks, especially on first viewing. CREDITS Spot: Acura "The Test" Client: American Honda Motor Co. Jon Ikeda, Vice President and General Manager, Acura Leila Cesario, Manager, National Advertising, Acura Agency: Mullen Lowe Chief Creative Officer: Mark Wenneker Executive Creative Director: Margaret Keene Art Director: Paul Foulkes Writer: Chris Ford Producer: Dustin Oliver Senior Business Affairs Manager: Davina Turnbull Asst. Business Affairs Manager: Nickie Kolb Music Supervisor: Danica Bates Director of Art Production: Kate Shoults Senior Art Producer: Alison Brislin Managing Director: Cameron McNaughton Group Account Director: Nicole Neopolitan Account Director: Courtney Calvert Senior Account Executive: Kylie Mugg Product Knowledge Director: Curtis Millward Production Company: The Corner Shop Director: Peter Thwaites Executive Producer: Anna Hashmi Producer: Jay Shapiro DP: Joost Van Gelder Editorial Company: Work Executive Producer: Marlo Baird Editor: Bill Smedley Assistant Editor: Ben Foushée Producer: Barbara Healy Postproduction Company: Electric Theatre Collective Executive Producer: Kate Hitchings Set Supervisor: Ryan Knowles Lead Flame Artist: Giles Cheetham Matte Painting: Dave Gibbons Colorist: Aubrey Woodiwiss Sound Company: 740 Sound Executive Producer: Scott Ganary Mixer: Stephen Dickson, Larry Winer Sound Designer: Chris Pinkston, Rob Marshall Sound Design Producer: Jeff Martin Associate Producer: Geena Richard Music Track: Ex Machina – "Skin" Composers: Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow Shane Casting: Casting Agent: Shane Liem Digital Banners and Landing Page Agency: Razorfish VP, Group Creative Director: Mike Frank Associate Creative Director: Kate Foley Art Director: Caitlin Bauler Senior Copywriter: Anne Butcher Senior Art Director: Can Kadioglu Art Director: Chris Kitahara Senior Copywriter: Newton Stern Content Strategist: Jonathan Baker Strategy Director: Evan Zeller Associate Motion Director: Carlos Barillas Senior Presentation Layer Developer: Ryan Daly Senior Presentation Layer Developer: Shamim Toufighian VP, Technology: Ron Davis Senior Technical Architect: Udayan Shukla Senior Functional Analyst: Ahmed BenAssaf Senior Software Engineer: Pratik Sheth Senior Presentation Layer Developer: Johnatan Garcia Senior Presentation Layer Developer: Jose Lombana Associate QA Manager: David Hua QA Analyst: Danny Ta QA Analyst - Luis Garzon Senior Director Social Media - Jerry Lawrence Social Media Strategist - Zachary Cheek VP, Client Partner- Liz Swanson Account Director - Amy Kelly Account Supervisor - Erik Troedsson Program Director - Rosie Rathburn Senior Project Manager - Ryan Schmidt

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These Eerily Lifelike Crash Test Dummies Aren't Quite What They Seem

Acura humanizes its commitment to safety

David Gianatasio

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David Gianatasio