How Peugeot Shared the Love Story of Cam and a Green E308
When it comes to car ads, there isn’t much we haven’t seen. The classic open road shots, the rushed city travels and the love stories of people and their beloved cars – but this spot is a little different. Rather than following the story of people and their cars, Peugeot’s latest spot focuses on an inanimate kind of love.
Following the protagonist Cam, the focus of this ad is on a little camera who falls in love with the new Peugeot E308 from the moment it comes into its lens. Prying itself off the wall it’s mounted on, Cam hops, skips and jumps to find a way to be alongside the green car that caught its attention and undivided love. Taking it across the city, experiencing interactions with dogs, hopping on the back of a bicycle and thinking it’s lost its love forever, in the end, Cam finds itself mounted on a wall, back with the Peugeot it so longed to see. With ‘Who knows where attraction will take you?’ serving as the tagline, the spot shows a level of commitment and resilience that only true love would be able to find.
To share more about bringing life to the spot, Jake Butler and Nick Kugge, the creative team at OPEN, Omnicom’s Peugeot-specific unit, speak to LBB’s Nisna Mahtani.
LBB> Tell us a little bit about Peugeot’s ideas and vision for this spot.
Jake & Nick> With this new campaign Peugeot wanted to celebrate the ‘Power of Attraction’. We decided to dramatise that very moment when you see someone, or something, that you simply can’t resist.
LBB> When you heard the brief, what were your first thoughts about the direction the creative should take?
Jake & Nick> We knew we had to hero the E308, since it’s all about its attraction. But we really didn’t want to make another ad where someone goes above and beyond, for a car. That’s when we thought about creating a bond between an inanimate character and the Peugeot.
LBB> The protagonist of the spot is an adorable, Pixar-style camera who follows the new Peugeot 308 around. Tell us a little bit about bringing the character to life.
Jake & Nick> It was an incredibly fun process to think about how our character, Cam, would look, sound and behave. To convey the emotions of such an original character we started to think of his life beyond the 60’ spot. What’s a regular day like, how long has he been there for, etc.
The challenge was to give Cam life and personality without making him too cartoony or cute. Luckily, director Mark Jenkinson and the team at The Mill shared the same vision and did an incredible job of bringing him to life.
LBB> What was the most challenging part of the animation process?
Jake & Nick> Animating the cable! It had to react to Cam’s movements in a realistic way, and Cam is always on the go, which made it a real challenge for the animation team.
LBB> Can you talk us through some of the elements which help to bring an inanimate object to life and how you incorporated these techniques?
Jake & Nick> We wanted people to care for Cam, and to do that we needed to infuse life and emotions into the character.
For instance, his lens mimics the reactions of an eye, you can see it change according to the story beats. Similarly, his green and red LED lights signify his feelings. Green when he is full of excitement and hope, and red when he’s scared or lost.
LBB> When it came to the filming aspect, what were some of the locations you chose and how did that contribute to the storyline?
Jake & Nick> We chose locations that helped tell Cam’s story, from being stuck in a boring back alley to ending in a high-end garage, where Cam can admire the E308 at his leisure.
LBB> You feature a beautiful green and blue Peugeot, how did you decide on the car colours and what did it bring to the spot?
Jake & Nick> The client chose the colour, but we couldn’t be happier to have a car which wasn’t black or silver. The green really pops out and helps Cam, and the viewer, spot the E308 during the chase.
LBB> Are there any little details we may have missed when watching the spot for the first time?
Jake & Nick> The rattling sound when Cam’s under the truck, terrified.
LBB> Do you have a personal favourite scene?
Jake & Nick> We love the moment when Cam falls from the wall and gets back on his feet for the very first time. There’s that brief moment of hesitation and fear that’s quickly replaced by excitement as he races out of the back alley.
LBB> How has the audience responded to the campaign so far?
Jake & Nick> The campaign is still being rolled out across Europe but so far general sentiment and reactions are super positive!
LBB> What can we expect to see next?
Jake & Nick> I mean, who knows where attraction will take Cam…
