Driving A Successful Campaign

Driving A Successful Campaign

The Sweet Shop was commissioned by Coca Cola and Publicis Mojo to develop and produce a series of films for Schweppes Europe.  The brief was to develop screenplays for sophisticated and mature audiences only.  The films would be supported by a traditional television commercial campaign and distributed via film festivals and the internet.

“Funnily enough,” says managing director Paul Prince, “was that this was a very exploratory campaign from the beginning.  Basically the brief was put out to Publicis and the New Zealand office secured the account.”  The challenge put forth to all involved was to figure out how to creatively launch an adult concept in prime time.  Coca Cola, the parent company of Schweppes, was willing to stand aside of the content development as long as the concept stayed true to the integrity of the product.

What Publicis Mojo and The Sweet Shop collaborated to do was to develop a short online film competition while using television commercials to drive audiences to the Schweppes website.  “We utilized traditional advertising means,” says Prince, “to support a comprehensive 360-degree marketing campaign.  We wrote and shot the short films, edited a :45-second spot from each one that involved no violence, drinking, or any kind of adult content, and used those as our television commercials.  Actually, they were more like teasers to inspire curiosity from viewers so they would visit.”

Not only did Coke have branding foresight, they also let their desires for an online community be known.  “We were involved from the get-go,” states Prince, “so we knew that the campaign needed to encompass and include forums that were new to us.  Writing short film screenplays and shooting them was one thing – developing an online community forum was another.  That’s where Publicis Digital stepped in and designed a website that was truly amazing.”  Some issues needed to be addressed however before slapping an interesting concept together.  Broadcast quality of the films had to be taken into account as did interactivity to comply with Eastern Europe’s end user resolution.

The five short films written and produced by The Sweet Shop have not only proven to be an advertising success, but an empowering endeavor as well.  “We delivered content that held true to the product’s authenticity while securing a stylistic voice to each one,” says Prince.  A six-month venture, the 360-degree campaign tested everyone on what they felt was a concept that not only engaged the traditional sell, but the untraditional, too.  It certainly helped that The Sweet Shop was a production company comprised of individuals with multiple skill sets.  “When you think about the concept beyond a :30-second TV commercial,” says Prince, “you can’t help but add value to your production company.  This entire campaign really enabled us from within and further empowered us with the agency and client.”

The sophisticated strategy displayed by Publicis Mojo and The Sweet Shop continues to demonstrate the ongoing changing advertising landscape.  With more touch points for the marketer, the breadth and scope of the media spend, at least for these two, was well worth the effort. 

“The target audience was tapped through television, outdoor, print, and the internet,” furthers Prince.  “And the end result of an ongoing film festival, complete with community and interactivity, is proof positive that this approach is a fantastic distribution tool.”

The four films used to kick off the festival - Jet Black directed by Kezia Barnett, Finders Keepers directed by Melanie Bridge, Magnifique directed by James Pilkington, and Consequence directed by Noah Marshall – are also currently showing on Schweppes Short Film Festival site.