Hasta La Creative!

BBDO New York teamed up with acclaimed director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, music videos for, Björk, The White Stripes, Beck and others) in a new 30-second spot for Bacardi to launch the brand’s largest-ever global ad campaign. 

As you may recall, BBDO New York released its first campaign for Bacardi as AOR last October, after winning creative duties that April following Bacardi’s decision to consolidate creative and media without a review.

In the new spot, “The Night,” they’re clearly going for the younger crowd. The spot celebrates those who emerge after dark: the “brave shirts” and the “still-at-work shirts,” or a bunch of total bros who stand “united against all dress codes.” These groups are “illuminated by 1,000 likes” and seem exist for the sole purpose of partying as much as possible before catching the last train home. It ends with the tagline, “We Are The Night.”

It’s a type of blanket nightlife celebration designed to appeal to to party-happy 20-somethings, which makes sense for the brand.

There are traces of Gondry’s signature style here and there, though these touches aren’t quite strong enough to elevate the spot above a series of like-minded ads despite its fine direction and an obviously sizable production budget. It feels a bit plain for a project with Gondry’s name attached to it, though we wonder if the parties involved might go more abstract if given some room to move.

Credits:
Agency: BBDO New York
Client: Bacardi
Spot: “The Night”
Chief Creative Officer Worldwide: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer New York: Greg Hahn
Executive Creative Director: Danilo Boer
Executive Creative Director: Marcos Kotlhar
Associate Creative Director: Marcus Johnston
Associate Creative Director: Jim Connolly
Global Executive Producer: Angelo Ferrugia
Producer: BreeAnn Stuart
Business Manager: Matt Friday
Jr. Music Producer: Julia Millison
Evp, Senior Account Director: Steven Panariello
Account Director: Joshua Goodman
Account Manager: Meghan Wood
Account Executive: Lindsay Vellines
Evp, Group Director, Behavioral Planning: Gordon Mclean
Head of Communications Planning: Julian Cole
Communications Planning Director: Patrick Tomasiewicz

Production Company: Partizan
Director: Michel Gondry
Director of Photography: Shawn Kim
Production Designer: Maxwell Orgell
Head of Production: Molly Griffin
Executive Producer: Lisa Tauscher
Producer: Raffi Adlan
Production Manager: Debo / Joseph DeBartolo

Edit House: Final Cut
Editor: Jeff Buchanan
Head of Production: Jen Sienkwicz
Executive Producer: Sarah Roebuck
Producer: Penny Ensley
Assistant Editor: Spencer Campbell

Vfx & Design: The Mill
Producer: Chris Harlowe
Production Coordinators: Chris Lewis, Carlos Zalapa (New York)

Shoot Supervisors: Glyn Tebbutt and Felix Urquiza
2-D Lead Artist: Glyn Tebbutt
3-D Lead Artist: Felix Urquiza
2-D Artists: Katerina Arroyo, Tom Van Dop, Brad Scott, Dag Ivarsoy, Jake Elbers, Peter Sidoriak, Chris Knight
3-D Artists: Cory Cosper, Juan Salazar, Ahmed Elmatarawi, Blake Guest, Monique Espinoza, Troy Barsness, Mahmoud Elragheb, David Tyler Young, Michael Lori, Danny Garcia, Steven Olson

Matte Painting: Ed Laag
NY 2-D Lead Vfx/Finishing: Krissy Nordella
Colorist: Fergus Mccall
Executive Producer, Color: Dee Allen
Color Producer: Natalie Westerfield
Production Coordinator, Color: Evan Bauer

Audio Post: Heard City
Mixer: Philip Loeb
Producer: Talia Rodgers

Music: Soundtree
Song Title: “Night Creatures”
Composers: Luis Almau and Peter Raeburn For Soundtree Music Limited
Publisher: Soundtree Music Publishing Limited
Managing Director / Music Supervisor: Jay James

Additional Credits for Social and Bar Call:
Social and Bar Call Films Editor: Spencer Campbell
Finishing: Significant Others NY
Creative Director: Dirk Greene
Sound Mixer: Terressa Tate
Finishing Producer: Alek Rost
Color: Color Collective NY
Colorist: Mike Howell