press release
Microsoft SYNC 'The Strokes'
Driving Sales of Freedom
Eyeball designs TV, print ads for Ford's new Sync technology campaign
NEW YORK November, 2007 - If everyone listened like Sync, the new voice command technology that provides hands-free control of your phone and MP3 player while driving, advertising would be easy. You could simply tell consumers to do something, and they would. But as design house Eyeball discovered while creating the TV and print for Sync's new campaign, making a compelling ad for such an innovation takes a more nuanced approach.
"What first attracted us to Eyeball was their strategy and vision for this campaign," said Judd Stricker, broadcast producer at Team Detroit, the agency on the project.
Team Detroit came to Eyeball wanting to represent sound waves in a new way, relating them to the open road and driving. The idea encouraged plenty of creative energy, but it quickly became obvious that trying to reinvent the way people visualize sound waves would distract the audience instead of inspire.
"It was an intense process," said Jory Hull, creative director of the television spots, which begin airing on Nov. 1. "We did a lot exploration - experimenting and sketching how you visualize sound to find something we could build a TV commercial on."
Then came a breakthrough. While looking at the creative team's work, Limore Shur, chief creative and founder of Eyeball, and Hyejin Hwang, Shur's partner and wife, noticed that a mirrored landscape took on the same characteristics of a sound wave, allowing the sound wave to blend with the spot's other visual elements without forcing the issue. The two then shaped a design treatment that ended up defining and leading the look of the spots, which first aired on Oct. 29.
"Once we realized we could throw away the notion that the sound wave had to be original - that it was more about what it was paired with - the sound wave could become the skeleton," said Shur. "The viewer immediately knows what it is and jumps right into the metaphor."
And the metaphor is a powerful one: The sound wave as a road - one's voice providing the freedom of an open highway and a full tank of gas. Using photographs, live action and CG animation, the spot takes viewers on a tour of Sync's easy interface via a vivid trek through mountain roads and city streets while big-name bands pop on the scene at the driver's command.
Though the ads highlight a feature offered by Ford, Mercury and Lincoln, they don't feel like car commercials. The sense of driving is subtle - almost an afterthought - with the viewer placed in the driver's seat to experience what SYNC can do for them. The soundtracks, infused with music from The Strokes and The Flaming Lips, complement the feeling of a drive, complete with faint hints of tires rolling over the road and the wind rushing by.
"It's an effective expression of driving. You have space, you have long journeys, you have these really intense moments," said Shur. "We kept coming back to the idea that the experience of driving was more important than visualizing the technology. The driving metaphor helped to thread all the visual elements together - when everyone involved in a project understands the metaphor, their work stays on point, while allowing for experimentation."
Using its resources to sustain the vibe between the mediums. Eyeball also handled the print side of the Sync campaign, which began running in late October.
"During the production process, it was key to maintain the intricate design look and feel over both the TV and print platforms," said Team Detroit's Sticker. "Having Eyeball create both for us was the best way to achieve this goal, with dynamic and eye-catching results."
