THE BRIEF:

Maurice Lacroix’s brief to the Alpha Studio centred around making an energetic social media campaign using their “Friends of the Brand”. The company prides itself on having a long relationship with talent that goes beyond the “turn up and smile” approach that bigger watch brands tend to have.

‍As a consumer, we all want to believe there is a real relationship when it comes to celebrity or athlete brand endorsement. The desire to work together needs to feel believable, so it was important that we produced content that felt fun and above all, honest.

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THE BUDGET:

Maurice Lacroix had 13 athletes to feature - in volleyball, basketball, skating, free running, free diving & dance - and the creative solution came from expressing their differences. However, the budget was tight.

The idea for the campaign was inspired by free runner Simon Nogueira’s videos, where he’s seen jumping and performing experimental moves between the bare walls of a concrete alleyway. We translated this by creating a simple set - a box - to look like a concrete environment meant to be used as a blank canvas for each talent to experiment within, and make their own. The results were funny and surprising because everyone's personality came out through their different skills and talents.

‍We shot the entire campaign over 2 days, including a video and stills session with each of the talent. As mentioned, they had no briefing before reaching the set, so everything was improvised on the day. The Volleyball guys invented a new game, the dancers combined new moves, and Simon tried even wilder jumps. It was a fun day, filled with laughs and I believe that comes through in the edits.

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THE RESEARCH:

Thinking of our target audience, a big part of shooting this was making sure we kept a sense of spontaneity and experimentation on set. We didn’t choreograph any actions beforehand and instead tried to invent things on the spot, in front of the camera.

This approach tied in well with the learning we've done around Generation Z, which points to their expectation to feel part of the process. Marketing has to be considered more of a conversation. It's worth knowing that brands making content that is too glossy, and too polished, essentially shuts these consumers out. Keeping it raw and natural fits their values.

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DELIVERABLES:

We went on to produce a total of 8 x 1-minute videos, each with 4 social media formats and still images.

All of this content is being rolled out over 8 months. Extending a campaign like this returns great value for their investment because of its long reach.

Not only have they produced a campaign with a clear tone and message, but the theme is able to run for three quarters of the year, from just a 2-day shoot. That’s great value!

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CONCLUSION:

▲ As marketers, we always need to understand our audience's needs first.

▲ Being informed helps us manage budget limitations.

▲ Sometimes limitations can force your creative idea to get more focused.

I hope this brief explanation of our process helps you make better choices in your production projects or has sparked ideas for solutions!

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⏱️ I create content through The Alpha Studio for luxury brands.

🎬 We specialise in high-end, hand-crafted stories about people and products.

🛠️ My experience comes from 14 years in the industry.

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This piece was also posted on The Alpha Studio website where you can find more opinions and insights.

To get in touch about a project, connect with me on LinkedIn or email me at dario@thealphastudio.net

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