See Jane fret. And struggle. And begin to lose focus and confidence. As she rises through the professional ranks, she loses touch with her childlike creative side and becomes stuck in a workaday rut.
That's the setup for 180LA's and director Lance Acord's lovely 60-second film "Jane," which ushers in a new campaign called "Go Make Things" for the Sprout by HP all-in-one desktop platform. (This is also the first major creative initiative since former Visa executive Antonio Lucio joined HP's Personal Systems Group in May as chief marketing and communications officer.)
Early scenes show our heroine as an imaginative youngster. She draws designs on dolls' faces, plays outside while wearing a fanciful butterfly headdress and dons an active volcano costume for science class. As time goes by, however—through college and beyond—her spirit gets worn down by the white-collar grind, and she grows listless and uninspired.
Jane's spark is reignited when her young daughter draws on a doll's face—and the two begin various projects on Sprout, such as creating a butterfly headband using the system's 3-D scanning capabilities.
The writing is strong. The vintage scenes are convincing. And the soundtrack, a cover of Supertramp's "The Logical Song," is an inspired choice. It fits the scenario to a T, with its lyrics contrasting the "clinical, intellectual, cynical" grown-up world with a simpler time when "it seemed that life was so wonderful, a miracle … beautiful, magical." The words are even more poignant here, as they are sung, in direct and affecting fashion, by a children's choir from the Silverlake Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles. (Check out the behind-the-scenes clip below for more on that.)
Overall, the ad does a fine job of conveying Jane's youthful elation and adult frustration without laying it on too thick. There's a lot going on in the relatively short spot, but the pacing is perfect, and the strong visual storytelling builds to a satisfying conclusion.
For an overstressed creative audience—grinding out PowerPoint presentations when they yearn to create artistic masterpieces (or at least better corporate materials)—the scenario is extremely relatable. Plus, the product isn't oversold. We're shown a few things it can do, watch it improve an important aspect of one person's life, and we're out. Awesome!
Most important, we do believe that Sprout by HP helps Jane see things in a new light, and can perhaps do the same for us.
CREDITS
Client: HP and Intel
Campaign: Spout by HP
Length :30, :60
Spot: "Jane"
Client Credits: HP
Chief Marketing Officer: Antonio Lucio
Vice President, PPS Worldwide Marketing, Consumer PC : Vikrant Batra
Worldwide Communications Director: Matt Cowling
Worldwide Marketing, Creative Sprout: John Randazzo
Product Marketing Manager, Immersive Computing: Stephen Miller
Client Credits: Intel
Chief Marketing Officer: Steve Fund
Vice President, Global Creative Director: Teresa Herd
Marketing Director: Cassio Tiete
Senior Marketing Manager: Elizabeth Lin
Agency: 180LA
Chief Creative Officer: William Gelner
Creative Director, Copywriter: Zac Ryder
Creative Director, Art Director: Adam Groves
Head of Production: Natasha Wellesley
Executive Producer: Erin Goodsell
President, Global Chief Executive Officer: Mike Allen
Account Director: Mike Slatkin
Account Managers: Danielle Tisser, Nicole Stokman
Chief Strategy Officer: Mike Harris
Head of Strategy: Jason Knight
Planning Director: Anne Heuer
Planner: Andrew Zakim
Business Affairs: Loretta Zolliecoffer
Production Company: Park Pictures
Director, Director of Photography: Lance Acord
Head of Production: Anne Bobroff
Executive Producer, Producer: Caroline Kousidonis
Production Designer: Jason Hamilton
Casting Company Director: Dan Bell
Shoot Locations: USC, Menlo Club, Leo Carrillo State Beach, Hawley House, Los Angeles
Editing Company: Exile
Editor: Kirk Baxter
Executive Producer: Carol Lynn Weaver
Producers: Lauren Pullano, Tobie Louie
Completion, Special Effects: Mill
Senior Executive Producer: Sue Troyan
Producer: Kiana Bicoy
Colorist: Adam Scott
2-D Lead Artist: Steve Cokonis
Recording Studio: Eleven
Sound Mixer: Jeff Payne
Assistant Mixer: A.J. Murillo
Executive Producer: Suzanne Hollingshead
Producer: Dawn Redmann
Music Company: Agoraphone
Producer: Dawn Sutter Madell
Song: "The Logical Song"
Writers: Roger Hodgson, Richard Davies