01 Feb 10

Films, fast food, Fudong and mono-skiing

By Andrew Niven, MediaCom Beyond Advertising.

On the off chance you happen to get caught in some surreal trivia quiz and are faced with the question “What links Spike Jonze, vodka, fast food, mono- skiing, David Lynch, handbags, Yang Fudong and Prada ?” fear not, I have the answer.
Branded content.
And here’s how.
Absolut Vodka has aligned itself with the arts since its first creative collaboration featuring Andy Warhol in 1985 and has been associated with up-coming and established artists, musicians and designers ever since. This week, at the Sundance Film Festival, Absolut launched a short film, 'I'm Here,’ a tale about two robots living in LA that Spike Jonze (director of ‘Where the Wild Things Are’, ‘Being John Malkovich’) says is his first love story. The investment seems to have already paid off with the 30-minute film being accepted into numerous A-list film festivals. 'I'm Here' will be released globally in March, when it will air on cable TV, online and be sold on DVD. www.imheremovie.com. 

McDonalds are definitely not aiming at the art house crowd with their latest foray into the world of branded entertainment. ‘Dreaming in Mono’ is the 60-minute feature of a new film-led branded entertainment experience set to be told over seven episodes. Broadcast online and on four TV networks in the Nordic region, the campaign is a far cry from the fast food giant's more traditional advertising efforts. With one eye on the upcoming Winter Olympics the story brings to life the rivalries between the Danes, Finns, Norwegians and Swedes as they come together to beat an old ski record. But there's a catch - they have to do it on one ski: a mono ski. The non-Nords amongst you can catch it at www.dreaminginmono.com

There’ll be plenty of twists and turns on the mono-ski but probably not as many as the latest instalment of the ‘Lady Dior’ Web saga, starring actress Marion Cotillard (and the Lady Dior handbag) with David Lynch on board to direct. We’ve already been treated to a Lady Noire film and Lady Rouge music track (composed by Franz Ferdinand) but will Marion get to utter the immortal words “What are you doing in my closet, Jeffrey Beaumont?” Find out at www.ladydior.com

And finally, not to be outdone in avant garde / fashion branded content , Prada commissioned prominent Chinese artist and filmmaker Yang Fudong to direct a film entitled ‘First Spring’ to represent “a new direction in Prada’s visual communications.”Inspired by the Chinese adage, “a good year is determined by its spring,” the film is set in the streets of Shanghai, during the 30s & 40s and follows young men (dressed in Prada threads, naturally) as they travel through a dreamlike world meeting various characters throughout the city. Float over to www.prada.com for the experience.

Sourced from : Shots, Contagious, Stylist, Screen International, hypebeast and Absolut.com