IDEA: There would seem to be a large cultural gap between 19th century art and 21st century entertainment. But BBH didn't see it that way.
"The team came in with a super simple observation: The greatest heroes through time have been immortalized in oil paintings. They thought PlayStation heroes should receive the same treatment," said executive creative director Ari Weiss.
Thus, a fun campaign was born—spanning outdoor, online video, social and more—centered around Emanuel Leutze's 1851 painting Washington Crossing the Delaware, reimagined to feature heroes from PlayStation games (and one lucky gamer) in place of George Washington and his men.
ART DIRECTION/TALENT: Weiss said BBH had three criteria for finding a famous work to reference: Would it be instantly recognizable? Did it have a prominent hero leading a group? And could the agency execute it beautifully?
Leutze's painting was a yes on all counts, so the agency hired Swedish artist Andreas Englund to recreate it. "He's a photorealistic painter, which was perfect for capturing each game character in exacting detail," said art director Daniel Burke. "He also has a subtle sense of humor to his work, which can be seen in his series about an aging superhero."
Englund left the Washington character blank, and fans were asked to pick a famous gamer, from among five choices, to take the coveted spot. (Joey Chiu, who was the first person in line to buy a PlayStation 4 last November, won that vote.)
The campaign launched with a giant mural, mimicking Englund's painting, at the E3 conference in June.
Next, The Mill helped bring the painting to life in a 60-second online spot. "They featured the painting textures beautifully, creating a realistic depth of field. There wasn't a more honorable way to reveal this masterpiece," said art director Diego Fonseca.
COPYWRITING: Heroic voiceover copy on the spot was taken directly from Thomas Paine's famous pamphlet series The American Crisis. "These are the times that try men's souls," the narrator says over close-ups of the characters, now moving slightly. "Yet we have this consolation with us—that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. It matters not where you live or what rank of life you hold. I call not upon a few, but upon all."
"We figured if it was good enough to inspire General Washington and his revolutionary army to fight for a country's freedom, it was probably good enough to inspire gamers playing for their own greatness," copywriter Evan Benedetto said of the text.
The spot ends with the on-screen line "Where the greatest play" and the campaign tagline, "Greatness awaits."
It also points viewers to a microsite, where they can create their own "Gamer Masterpieces" (using three classic works of art and a number of characters and backgrounds), upload them and ask for votes. The top 50 vote getters are getting a real-life version of their Gamer Masterpiece; the top 10 will get the same, plus a new PS4.
SOUND: The music on the spot is a quietly stirring original orchestral track by Human. "We wanted a piece of music that added emotion while letting the voiceover really be the star," said Burke.
MEDIA: The campaign was interactive at its core, but had various touch points.
"Our audience doesn't experience ideas in siloed ways—they just grab a bit here, see a bit there, and it all needs to reward them in some way for spending time with it," said BBH New York chief creative officer John Patroulis. "In this campaign, interactivity and participation became the gravity that pulled all the elements together."
THE SPOT:
CREDITS
Client: Sony PlayStation
Guy Longworth: Senior Vice President Brand Marketing
John Koller: VP Platform Marketing
Franco de Cesare: Senior Director Home Consoles
Tyler Vaught: Senior Brand Manager Home Consoles
Cristian Cardona: Brand Manager Home Consoles
Cody Morales: Assistant Brand Manager
Mia Putrino: Assistant Brand Manager
Agency: BBH, New York
John Patroulis: CCO
Ari Weiss: Executive Creative Director
Evan Benedetto: Creative
Daniel Burke: Creative
Amanda Brencys: Creative
Diego Fonesca: Creative
Carey Head: Head of Production & Technology
Kate Morrison: Head of Content Production
Douglas Stivers: Senior Integrated Producer
Kelly Bignell: User Experience Director
Anthony Terruso: Creative Technologist
Deb Archambault: Art Buyer
Rachel Freed: Senior Print Producer
Simon Joseph: Associate Producer
Sean McGee: Business Affairs Manager
Armando Turco: Head of Account Management
Mark Williams: Account Manager
Mike Mueller: Account Executive
Eric Schwerdtfeger: Account Executive
Julian Cole: Head of Comms Strategy
Benjamin Zoll: Comms Strategist
Sarah Watson : Head of Strategy
Kendra Salvatore: Brand Strategy Director
Oil Painting Artist: Washington Crossing the Delaware Andreas Englund
Digital Experience we are resn: design, art production, development and animation
Gamer Masterpiece Film Production: Mill+
Creative Director: Rama Allen
Executive Producer: Danielle Ameral
Producer: Stephanie Katritos
3D Lead: Christian Nielsen
3D Artist: Isaiah Palmer
2D Lead: Nick Tanner
2D Artist: Rob Roth
Editor: Ryan Mckenna
Editor Assistant: Leanne Belgiomo
Colorist: Mikey Rossiter
Music: Human
Sound Design: Henryboy
Sound Designer: Bill Chesley
Executive Producer: Kate Gibson
Audio Mixing: Sound Lounge
Tom Jucarone: Mixer/Audio Post
Mark Ledwidge: Assistant Mixer/Audio Post