Completely invisible on a dark winter night, a woman and her faithful dog take a run in the park in this TV/cinema campaign for the Volkswagen Touareg, created by adam&eveDDB, London.
Revealed only by the mist of their breath and their shadows under lights, their journey takes a suspenseful turn as they encounter Volkswagen’s new flagship Touareg Black Edition in the fog that surrounds them. The ad highlights that the Touareg is the first Volkswagen model available with the Night Vision assist system. A thermal image camera (infrared camera) integrated at the front of the car registers infrared radiation and can detect and warn the driver of people or animals from 10m-130m ahead. By revealing the woman and her best friend, this technology that helps our relieved driver avert any danger.
The work consists of 30-second and 60-second versions for TV and a longer two-minute cinema cut featuring the ride comfort, sleek lines and state-of-the-art driver assist feature in the Touareg.
Titled “See the Unseen,” the film was directed by Niclas Larsson via production house new-land London and shot by DP Linus Sandgren (La La Land, No Time to Die). The music for the spot was composed by Carlos Cipa, with postproduction by Untold Studios. Factory Studios, London, provided sound design and audio post.
Credits
Client Volkswagen Touareg Agency adam&eve DDB, London Richard Brim, chief creative officer; Ant Nelson, Mike Sutherland, executive creative directors; Paul Knott, creative director, copywriter; Tim Vance, creative director, art director; Nikki Cramphorn, Nia Maclean, producers; Sarah Morning, planner; Michael McConville, managing partner. Production Company new-land, London Niclas Larsson, director; Linus Sandgren, DP; Trine Pillay, exec producer. Editorial Carla Luffe, editor. Postproduction/VFX Untold Stories, London Ian Berry, Ellie Joseph, post producers; Tom Raynor, Alex Babucci, VFX supervisors. Color Company 3 Sofie Borup, colorist. Music Leland Music, London Abi Leland, Toby Williams, music supervisors; Carlos Cipa, composer. Sound Design/Audio Post Factory Studios, London Anthony Moore, sound designer/mixer; James Utting, sound designer; Deborah Whitfield, sound producer.
Following the success of The Talking Tree campaign created for Agency for Nature in London, Droga5 London & Droga5 Dublin, part of Accenture Song, brought this innovative AI-powered experience to South by Southwest (SXSW) in partnership with The Trail Conservancy, UK Advertising, Locate Productions and Purpose Disruptor-led effort Agency for Nature. Expanding on the campaign’s mission to reconnect young people with nature, this first-of-its-kind activation gave visitors a chance to engage in real-time “conversations” with a living tree, inspiring new ways to consider their relationship with the natural world.
The Talking Tree experience was an extension of a SXSW panel featuring the project entitled “Earth’s Biggest Brief: The World’s First Agency for Nature” hosted by UK Advertising at UK House on Sunday March 9.
Building on the original London activation featuring a 150-year-old horse chestnut tree, the Talking Tree experience was brought to life in Austin with a 50-year-old live oak tree located along the Hike & Bike Trail near the center of SXSW activity. Over two days, festival-goers engaged in tech-enabled conversation with the tree, which used real-time sensory data to “speak” about its surroundings, history, and connection to the environment.
Signals from the tree are translated into a voice, shaped by data from over 10 sensors measuring bioelectrical signals, wind speed, temperature, soil moisture, humidity and more, alongside historical insights about the tree’s lifespan. These inputs feed into a local large language model (LLM), which acts as the ‘brain’ of the tree’, shaping the tree’s personality and enabling live, real-time conversations.
Over two days at SXSW, The Talking Tree engaged... Read More
