Tuesday, August 22, 2006

CLEMS SYDNEY LAUNCHES PEPSI MAX STRAYHOUND RACING


Clemenger BBDO Sydney creatives Gary Dawson and Paul Cottrell have completed a multi-media campaign to launch a new Pepsi Max promotion. The promotion gives punters the chance to win 5k everyday or choose to race a greyhound with up to $100,000 up for grabs in the Pepsi Max Cup, to be held at Wentworth Greyhound Stadium in October.
The campaign launched yesterday (August 21) with a two and a half minute film to be sent virally, a first for Pepsi Australia. The film introduces viewers to the world of Strayhound racing, the dark underworld of greyhound racing. A place where mongrels and street-dogs face off in a battle to catch a remote controlled cat stuffed with cash.
Set in a disused factory, each ‘Strayhound’ is brought on by a seedy crew of trainers and introduced to the crowds. It is then that a rag tag looking bunch of characters in specially created dog suits are revealed. We see the Stray Twins from the UK, El Nino the fiery midget from Colombia, Smack-the feisty poodle from Asia, Bullet- the laid back loafer from Australia and Normous, the lanky, long haired bruiser from eastern Europe.
As ‘Pussy 1’ has cash stuffed up its backside our dogs take their places and the race is on! Set to beautiful, rousing opera, what follows is absolute mayhem as the ‘Strayhounds’ play dirty to get their hands on the cash. As dog takes on dog a brawl ensues as they battle it out in a no rules race to catch pussy.
Finally we are left wandering which one grabs the cash and the suggestion that it’s still out there. Viewers are then directed to www.strayhounds.com.au where they uncover more about the world of ‘Strayhounds’. From here they can move up above ground and find out how they can race a real dog for up to $100,000 in the legal world of Greyhound racing.
A series of four TV commercials launches a week later, featuring one of the ‘Strayhounds’ at a Greyhound race. These commercials send viewers to ‘dollars or the dog.com.au’ where they can enter the competition as well as being able to go underground to the world of Strayhound Racing.
Art Director: Paul Cottrell
Copywriter: Gary Dawson
Director: Adam Stevens
Production Company: Robbers Dog
Producer: Mark Foster
Editor: Dan Lee (Karl Marx)
Agency Producers: Denise Mckeon, Wendy Gillies.

33 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

can i start by saying, the "viral" is bland, tedious, long and very unfunny?????

I won't be forwarding it on.

11:46 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nice effort, and good luck with the viral thing, but I wouldn't send it on.

11:51 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

1. "Don't worry, it doesn't contain sugar" is an American format they're simply following.

2. Guy becomes greyhound track rabbit was done for SOLO low sugar 2 years ago. EXACTLY the same stunt.

Are you serious guys???

11:53 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Really don't want to be negative, but this looks like the work of folks who don't quite understand the medium. And the promotion is about as clear as the film is amusing.

12:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Go Gary Go!
Nice work fellas. Love the dish lickers idea.

12:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Didn't finish it.

12:54 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's well made and has an amusing premise.

Better than the average piece of shite we're thrown day in, day out.

And it's for Pepsi, a tough client at the best of times.

So fuck off Mr and Mrs anonymous.

Christ, get a fucking life.

1:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wilfred was funnier.

1:13 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I really love the idea. I was just hoping to see real dogs. Or even CGI dogs ripping the shit out of each other.

1:24 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"So fuck off Mr and Mrs anonymous."

This, posted anonymously! Are you telling yourself to fuck off?

1:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Having worked on Pepsi I agree it's a bloody tough client... It's amazing that anything got through at all. And there's not much room to move when you have to follow the Don't Worry... No Suger format. Good onya boys, nicely done.

1:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lost interest within 15 seconds. Sorry but true. What's the criteria for getting an ad on this blog? Have you got to be Lynchy's mate? It doesn't really seem to be done on merit.

2:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A 2.5min viral?

Get serious.

2:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Mr 1:12pm, who are you calling anonymous? And in case you didn't make it obvious enough, you work at Clemenger right? I'd get back to trying to create an original idea instead of blogging, mate.

2:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

1:12 LOL! are u dissing your own kind??

Some ads are so good that you gonna play that ads again, but on this case.. im not going too.

dochathinkisgud?!I would rate it average, the humour ummm... hmmm...ummm...(arkward silence humour) yaknowudayamean?? and its a bit dragging... but, still not too bad.. Well! back to work guys!

3:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's too long, it's boring, it's not very good.

3:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The problem is not so much the idea, but the production. It would have been much funnier shot in a more naturalistic style. And half the length. The music sucks too.

3:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Pepsi is a tough client"

So tough they'll only approve ideas that other soft drink clients have already done. I agree with 11.53, Solo did have the same stunt with a guy in a rabbit suit running down a greyhound track being chased by real greyhounds.

5:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Der website mertierial is downreight boring and really, realy, reely crappy. Could hev done much better. Lost oppertunity.

8:32 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I didn't finish watching it.

8:10 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Apparently Clems did not do the website(s) component. Does anyone know?

8:30 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Apparently Clems did not do the website(s) component.

8:32 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What's with all these people posting the same thing twice? Struggling a bit with the technology, are you?

11:01 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

'amnesia' (pepsi's online agency) did the websites.

12:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In two words, WHAT THE?!?!

Talk about long and slow moving. Who in their right mind makes a viral campaign that runs for 2.5 minutes???!!!

Aside from that it looks like a direct rip off of several other campaigns that I've seen.

Burger King Coq Fight comes to mind!!!

8:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Burger King? You have got to be joking. A bit of a stretch 8:36 don't you think.

7:13 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

OK, one more disparaging comment: the direction and style of the ad is so Guy Ritchie, which is so late nineties baby! All that freeze framing and faux gangsterism. Just another reason to dislike this campaign.

9:42 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

12:12, are you sure Amnesia only did the on-line?

It would be the perfect name for an agency that forgot that Solo did the identical idea (better) recently.

Possible extenuating circumstance: The Poms credited with this spot may have only emigrated in the past handful of years and may have been unaware of the Solo spot.

But Danny should know better.

6:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

6:56, Yes, pretty sure. A friend of a friend works there (Amnesia).

Clems did the viral, Amnesia did the websites (They do just about all Pepsi's online work in AUS). I think the spot/movie is okay, but the website fails to go anywhere beyond the viral. Piss poor effort. Boring. Missed opportunity etc.

8:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What is going on at Clemengers? The quality of the work, is certainly not a reflection of the quality of talent that works there.

3:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Spot on, 3:04. Rocky, Moose, what the hell's going on?

Have you produced anything?

Are you still there?

Post a reply. Don't worry, Danny won't scroll down this far.

A Friend.

7:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The viral = crap. way too long. not interesting. Typical work from Clemenger.

Like the competition website though, the game etc. Clems obviously had nothing to do with it..!?

The deal is that Pepsi are only with Clemenger because of a global contract. If that deal wasn't in place they would be dropped locally or forced to re-pitch straight away, Pepsi Oz are not big fans of Clems work - hence they farm everything else possible out to agencies.

Weird thing is similar situation at Coke Oz and SOM. Poor old soft drink giants!

2:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Amnesia had no role in strayhounds or viral on this job. They produced the website / game but were briefed NOT to make this a 'strayhounds site' and to go with pack creative for the web.

11:17 AM  

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