Financial ads are normally so buttoned up. But Swedish e-commerce payment brand Klarna loosens things up in its new campaign from DDB Stockholm, with three weirdly entrancing ads that dramatize how "smoooth" it is to use Klarna's services.
All three spots, directed by MJZ's Perlorian Brothers—known for their idiosyncratic work—feel almost more like art pieces than ads. To communicate this idea of "smoooth," the ads show, respectively, a fish taking a thrilling ride down a plastic slide and across a floor; a cheese slicer carving gorgeously through a long block of cheese; and a very hairy creature swimming carefree through a pool.
The ads are all backed by the same simple, looping electronic music—an original track by DeadMono—which adds to the mesmerizing feel.
The ads broke in Sweden on Tuesday, backed by outdoor advertising and social media. "We fell for the concept 'Smoooth' because it describes the overall feeling of how a really good experience should be when you shop online," Klarna founder and CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski said in a statement.
"The creative approach was to keep them minimal, to keep them graphic, to keep them intriguing, and to keep them smooth," the Perlorian Brothers tell Adweek. "We wanted them to feel a little strange and arty. So we searched all over the world for the best locations, the best props, the slipperiest fish, the smoothest cheese, the silkiest fur-covered sea creature."
Glassworks Post in London also worked on the spots.
CREDITS
Client: Klarna
Agency: DDB Stockholm
Production Company: MJZ
Directors: The Perlorian Brothers
Postproduction: Glassworks Post, London
Music: DeadMono