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The Muppets take a selfie with the Blair Witch

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I clearly remember my experience watching The Blair Witch Project when it first came out back in 1999. It arrived on the scene around the time my generation were just about starting to “Get” the internet, and the marketing campaign behind it was something approaching genius for its time, so to say the 13 year old me was pumped would be an understatement. Unfortunately, the film not only didn’t live up to my expectations, it left me reeling with motion sickness and lifelong bias against found-footage films. That’s why I was genuinely surprised when I stumbled across this latest Blair Witch homage from Wieden+Kennedy London for the Three mobile network, and didn’t immediately hate it.

This Blair Witch homage from Wieden+Kennedy London for the Three mobile network features the loveable Jackson from the #MakeItRight campaign

Maybe enough time has passed, or maybe I just really love the Muppets, because this particular online video stars the brand’s adorable new mascot Jackson, who looks and acts like he fell right out of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Because he actually did! It’s also been so long since I saw a Blair Witch spoof, that we’ve almost come full circle to the extent that this 5 and a half minute long video (framed as a ‘review’ for the new LG G4 smartphone) actually comes across as quite fresh. The production values are also top notch, which is undeniably due to the involvement of director, who helmed the actually rather good remake of The Thing back in 2011, so has some pretty impressive horror credentials. This isn’t his first rodeo in the world of advertising either, as alongside his big screen hits, the Danish film-maker has also created a number of other brand campaigns for the likes of Peugeot and Nike.

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The horror-themed video sees Jackson venture out into the woods with his best friend Steve, with the intention of reviewing LG’s flagship smartphone. Horror and (mild) hilarity ensues. The ad sees Three and LG taking a new slant on promoting a smartphone, opting to demonstrate the handset’s key features in extreme but entertaining circumstances. Jackson and Steve test the GPS on the way to their campsite, its camera capabilities in the woods, and the bright LCD screen when camping in their tent, all the while being spooked by seriously strange happenings. It’s a genuinely engrossing and effective concept, which honestly had me regretting my decision to jump the gun and go with the Samsung S6 last month when it came to upgrade my contract (but then I am something of a gadget freak).

The film went live earlier this week with a full directors cut that features on the Three UK YouTube channel

Lianne Norry, director of brand and communication at Three UK, said: “We are always looking at ways we can re-invent the rules at Three. With this film we’ve done something completely new for a mobile network on how to publicise a market-leading handset – while putting a humorous Three spin on it. It was great working closely alongside the team at LG and brilliant that they were willing to trust us to take the LG G4 in a completely new direction. We are really excited to see the final result and can’t wait to see the public’s reaction!”

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The film went live earlier this week with a full directors cut that features on the Three UK YouTube channel. Two 20 second TV spots will air on TV to tease viewers and drive them to check out the full film online and finally a five minute version will be shown in cinemas over the summer. The campaign is to be supported via social media and PR. Three and Wieden+Kennedy are killing it right now with the #MakeItRight campaign, and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next.

The LG G4 Review

Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and struggling musician from Kidderminster in the UK who now kind of wants a Jackson of his very own.

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