Your Shot: Guinness’s Cloud

AMV BBDO’s new spot for Guinness has something very Wordsworth-y about it – reminding the literati at LBB of the English romanticist’s poem, ‘I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud’. Spanning a prolific 14 years the relationship between Guinness and AMV BBDO has conjured up classic ads like the Rugby World Cup-inspired ‘Flag’ and 1999 old-timer ‘Surfer'. ‘Cloud’ is touching, yet uplifting with its sense of eeriness, appearing to be a more gentle approach to the marketing of a very male-targeted stout. LBB chatted to the Guinness team at AMV BBDO to discover the roots of the personified rain cushion and how Edward Scissorhands was considered during its conception.

 

 

LBB> Can you explain the client’s brief and your first reactions when you read it? 

 

AMV BBDO> The campaign needed to reinforce Guinness’s brand positioning of ‘Made of More’.  Like all Guinness briefs, we saw it as a huge opportunity and were very excited to start work on what we hoped would be the next epic Guinness campaign.

 

LBB> AMV BBDO have been working with Guinness for a number of years. What is the agency’s relationship like with the brand?

 

AMV BBDO> We have been working with Guinness for 14 years. Over that time AMV has created some iconic and much loved work that continues the rich history of the brand. This kind of work can only be created in an open environment where both the agency and client work together to create relevant and new ideas, while still respecting the heritage of this very original product.

 

 

LBB> Why was director Peter Thwaites the right man for the job and what did he bring to the script?

 

AMV BBDO> Early on, Peter was one of the front-runners for this job. He understood straight away what the agency and client were trying to achieve and focused very much on the empathy we wanted people to feel with the cloud.

 

LBB> The cloud is personified to show what humans are capable of when we try to be all that we can be. Why the use of a cloud? Were there any determining factors that led to the choice of it as a focal point?

 

AMV BBDO> The cloud was one of a few metaphors we looked at to bring to life the attitude of making the most of who you are. A cloud can take us on a journey outside of our normal lives as it floats up into the sky. There is something magic and emotive about clouds that we wanted to capture.

 

LBB> There is a Tim Burton-esque feel to the music and the direction – despite being heart-warming, the cloud has an aura of loneliness about it. Where did this come from? 

 

AMV BBDO> The film uses the track from Edward Scissorhands, which is directed by Tim Burton…  It provides that perfect mix of journey through to climax and resolution – it provides a heart-warming, uplifting tone.

 

LBB> What did South Africa bring to the spot as a setting and location?

 

AMV BBDO> We weren’t looking for an iconic city skyline, such as New York or London. While the city was the setting for the film, we didn’t want it to overpower the cloud – we wanted an everyday, gritty city; Johannesburg and Durban were perfect for this. 

 

LBB> The spot tackles the idea of superhuman power in a gentle manner. Why do you feel that this approach appeals to the Guinness target audience? 

 

AMV BBDO> We think the new brand creative will resonate with people who want to make the most of who they are – this means stretching their minds, not just flexing their muscles. It’s about pushing yourself but not taking yourself too seriously.