Thank you, Battery and Netflix, I wanted to get my girlfriend a rock for Valentine’s Day and you have now made that possible.
LA-based Battery has created a nifty new global campaign for Netflix to promote Chris Rock’s stand-up comedy special, Tamborine, that debuts on the streaming giant on Valentine’s Day.
The spot opens on a sleek black set with six white tambourines taking center stage, as if they are floating. A slow beat picks up, almost heartbeat-like. One by one the tambourines start reacting. Like dominos, the beat carries from one tambourine to the next.
The pacing and mood intensifies with every hit, until the rhythm catches the last tambourine at the crescendo. The tambourines drop to the floor together and the camera cuts to one tambourine that lands perfectly on the ground to reveal the “O” in Rock’s name. Watch it below:
“The goal of the campaign was to announce Chris’ special in a way that builds organic buzz around the pending release,” said Scott Brown, Partner/VP/Creative Director at Battery. “From dropping the cryptic teaser to rolling out mysterious OOH boards, Netflix looked to draw in its audience, and get them asking for more.”
The integrated effort launched on February 3rd with a cryptic teaser campaign that dropped during Saturday Night Live. It was similar to the “reveal” spot, except with no mention of Rock.
Similarly, mysterious billboards showed a lone tambourine against a black background that would later be revealed as the “O” in Rock’s name.
Netflix also looked to utilize a number of their social channels to keep its audience guessing what these cryptic films meant, as they rolled out a number of social posts incorporating tambourines in the hands of Netflix Original characters (Narcos, The Crown, Big Mouth, Orange is the New Black).
Rock’s stand-up special covers a wide array of topics including his recent divorce. Fittingly, the campaign creative is both a nod to the Prince song, Tamborine (which plays during the special) as well as a reference to a joke featured in the special where Rock states that sometimes in a relationship you have to play various instruments.
I know one should not express jealousy, especially on Valentine’s Day, but I am jealous of this simple, yet intriguing campaign from Battery.
CREDITS
Ad Agency: Battery
CEO/Co-Founder: Anson Sowby
CCO/Co-Founder: Philip Khosid
Partner/VP/Creative Director: Scott Brown
Associate Creative Director, Art Director: Rebecca Ginos
Associate Creative Director, Writer: Ryan Montanti
Film Producer: Thomas Martin
Brand Supervisor: Zach Hill
Production Company: Golden
Director: Jake Banks
Executive Producer: Matt Marquis
Producer: Scott Siegal
Original Music: Wolf at the Door
Composed by: Jimmy Haun and Alex Kemp
Music Company: Wolf at the Door
Producer: Alex Rose
Audio: Formosa, Santa Monica
Sound Mixer: John Bolen
Producer: Lauren Cascio
Contact Colin Costello at colin@reelchicago.com or follow him on Twitter @colincostello10.
