A dramatic surprise on a quiet square
Turner Broadcasting System Europe Ltd
Issue 23 | June 2012
Agency
Duval Guillaume Modem
Creative Team
Creative Director: Geoffrey Hantson, Katrien Bottez; Copywriter: Dieter De Ridder; Art Director: Ad van Ongeval;
Production Team
Agency Producer: Marc Van Buggenhout; Production Company: Czar; Director: Koen Mortier; Executive Producer: Eurydice Gysel
Other Credits
Account Team: Jana Vervoort (AE), Marc Wellens (MP)
Date
April 2012
Background
The American TV Channel TNT was a high-quality entertainment channel which was new to Flanders.
It was positioned as the channel for people who want to be transported from their daily lives by engaging plots and unpredictable storylines.
In short, TNT was television worth talking about. It followed, then, that the launch campaign needed to be advertising worth talking about.
Idea
The channel's tagline is "TNT knows drama". So, to deliver to this, a large, red push button was placed in the main square of an ordinary Flemish town. A sign invited passers-by to push the button.
When curiosity got the better of someone and he or she pushed, an incredible sequence of dramatic events unfolded in front of them.
An ambulance screeches into the square. There is an accident, a fight, gangsters and cops have a shoot-out before an American Football team gallops to the rescue...
Each part related to a TNT show in one breathless piece of action and drama played out live to the townspeople.
Finally, a title unfolded from one of the buildings, reading: "Your daily dose of drama".
The event was staged several times and a film compiled. This was launched through social media and on YouTube. A 30-second version was run in cinemas.
Results
Launched on Wednesday 11th of April, the virakl film had had 10 million views within 24 hours.
By 29th April, date of this submission, it had been viewed 30 million times in total, on YouTube (26 million), Dailymotion (half a million), MSN, Vimeo etc. It had collected nearly a quarter of a million 'likes' on Facebook.
Within two weeks it had become the second most-shared commercial of all time.
From 0 visitors, the website received 100,000 visitors within 10 days not to mention PR coverage around the world.
There was even a Lego adaptation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDaiPydjUvU
Our Thoughts
One of those 'you've got to see it to believe it' entries. It's a simple demonstration of drama. Both unexpected and fantastically executed, it does have you pondering both how many views it's had and also the long list of Cannes categories in which it could be entered.