Subaru Canada has created a 100 km/h flipbook as part of the campaign for its newly redesigned, rally-inspired WRX STI.
Created by DDB Canada, Toronto, the “Pure Performance” TV spot uses flipbook-inspired technology to show an animated WRX STI flying across desert terrain while trying to outmaneuver a giant robotic crab.
As the spot comes to a close, the camera pulls back to reveal that the animation is actually being created by a real WRX STI car driving down a track (Cayuga Motor Speedway in Ontario) beside a series of more than 750 still images, captured by a camera mounted in the window.
The 30-second spot is aimed at auto enthusiasts who place a premium on rally handling and power, said Todd Mackie, DDB Canada’s Toronto-based co-creative director. It also enables Subaru to skirt strict regulations placed on Canadian car advertising that would hamper efforts to fully showcase the car’s capabilities.
“This is a top-of-the-line performance vehicle for Subaru, and the hardest thing on TV is to show the performance of a car like that unless it’s actually in a rally race or experiencing it in a video game,” said Mackie. “When you think about the target that would be interested in a car like this… it’s hard to entice them with a 30-second TV commercial if you just have to show it driving the speed limit and obeying all the rules of the road.”
According to Mackie, careful calibration of everything from the car’s distance from the wall, its speed and the camera’s shutter angle were required to properly create the animated spot.
The ad, which is running primarily during sports programming to reach the vehicle’s key buyer demo of young males, is the centrepiece of a fully integrated campaign that includes social media, print, radio, online and in-store executions. The ads drive to Subaru’s newly created YouTube page, where viewers can watch both an extended 50-second version of the spot as well as a making-of video.
Like Hyundai‘s recent zero carbon footprint ad–which used pulleys and bicycle-powered backdrops to create the illusion of movement–the Subaru ad deviates from standard automotive commercials showing a car driving through twisting roads while extolling safety features, warranty etc.
