Part 3 Mexico: PSN Puts World Cup Commercials on the Map for Russia 2018
World Cup Fever is well underway, and brands have been clamouring to speak to the huge audiences tuning in to the football action in Russia. World Cup commercials have been being commissioned in countries around the globe, but in a worldwide tournament, fraught with rivalries and fronted by some of the hardest to reach talent on the globe, how do you know where to shoot?
PSN calls on its production partners from around the world to share their insights on what countries are getting through the group stages at pitch. In the third in a series of World Cup features they speak to Ari Garza, Service EP at PSN Mexico, the man on the ground for a recently released Toyota spot convincing Mexicans and Americans to stay up all night with World Cup Tundra coffee.
Q> Why did Toyota and Sweat Pants Media choose to shoot in Xalapa Veracruz and Mexico City?
Ari Garza> The commercial plays on the fact that football fans will be watching the World Cup late into the night due to the time difference in Russia. Toyota’s Tundra pick up is the truck of choice for bringing coffee beans down from the Mexican hills to help fuel tired eyes. It was crucial that the location was authentic to the story. It also just so happens that the coffee fields in Veracruz are some of the most beautiful places to shoot automotive.
Q> Were there any adverse weather conditions you had to consider when shooting in Veracruz ?
AG> The weather conditions were important to monitor. The dirt roads can get muddy in the humidity. We wanted to show off the natural location without completely covering the truck in mud. We chose the green coffee fields to contrast with the dirt roads but also because they are not far from Mexico City, which has the facilities to shoot all of the interior scenes needed.
Q> As a national campaign, how did you play up to culturally specific cues?
AG> The casting brief was for Anglo or Hispanic actors. Mexico City has good casting resources so this wasn’t a problem at all.
Q> Did you shoot across Mexico City or use a studio for the interior locations?
AG> We made most of the character actor vignettes in a studio which has a multiplex of diverse. We did this to make sure we could stay within the time frame outlined as we didn’t have to move from one location to another.
Q> What would you say were key elements/challenges of this campaign in terms of production?
AG> As mentioned before the weather since was important but on the day it was perfect for the running shots fort the Tundra with the Scorpio Arm and Drone.
