WANDA PRODUCTIONS Saint-Denis La Plaine Cedex, FRANCE
Production Company 2
GROUEK Paris, FRANCE
Credits
Name
Company
Position
Benjamin Marchal/Olivier Lefebvre/Matthieu Elkaim
CLM BBDO
Executive Creative Director
Eric Pierre
CLM BBDO
Creative Director
Charles Dessaux
CLM BBDO
Art Director/Copywriter
Emile Martin
CLM BBDO
Art Director/Copywriter
Cécile Pimont
CLM BBDO
Copywriter
Romain Bruneau
CLM BBDO
Account Manager
Thomas Laurent
CLM BBDO
Agency Producer
Muriel Garilli
CLM BBDO
Digital Producer
Damien Dupoux
CLM BBDO
Motion Designer
Lauren Weber
CLM BBDO
Pr
Ben Strebel
WANDA
Director
Perrine Schwartz
WANDA
Executive Producer
Julien Floutard
WANDA
Production Designer
Thomas Cornet
WANDA
Post Production
Jean Frédéric Passot
WANDA DIGITAL/GROUEK
Interactive Director
Romain Altain Aldea
WANDA DIGITAL/GROUEK
Executive Digital Producer
Swann Knani
WANDA DIGITAL/GROUEK
Lead Developer
Anthony Leblond
THE
Sound Design
Martin Sumeire
THE
Sound Design
Andeole Vu Dinh Ba
CLM BBDO
Account Executive
The Brief
Each year in France, too many people drown at sea because they neglect to wear a lifejacket. 43% of French people believe that because they can swim they do not need one. However, no matter whether you merely enjoy water activities, are a boating enthusiast or a genuine professional, in the case of an accident, the chances of surviving without a lifejacket are unlikely.
How could Guy Cotten, a brand leader in marine clothing and safety equipment, raise awareness about the importance of wearing a lifejacket and make it a natural reflex?
Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation
We created an interactive video that made people experience their own drowning. A subjective POV movie realistically reproduced a drowning scenario, during which users had to scroll continuously to stay above the surface.
During long minutes, scrolling was their only chance of survival, which generated a physical and psychological exhaustion. Quickly, tired of scrolling, users gave up and drowned, discovering the following message: At sea, you tire faster than you think. Whenever you go out to sea, wear your lifejacket.
They then understood how tiring it is to swim at sea without a lifejacket, just like scrolling continuously.
Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results
Launched with a 0€ media plan, the experience instantly generated a massive buzz around the world.
1 Million unique visitors virtually drowned in the first 48 hours, 221 countries reached, 4’37” average connection time, 100K Facebook shares, +2150% traffic increase on Guy Cotten Fan page...
The buzz was relayed by world's most prestigious magazines, newspapers, blogs and TV channels: The Huffington Post, New York Daily News, France 3, Le Monde, Creativity Online… (More than 1200 articles worldwide).
Most of all, thousands of users commented and tweeted they would never neglect wearing their lifejacket anymore, praising the campaign’s strength and efficiency.
Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service
With this campaign, the brand aims at highlighting that drowning is an existing risk for anyone who goes out to sea and hopes to make lifejackets a natural reflex.
We wanted to create the most realistic drowning experience, based on testimonies, professional explanations and documentation. The staging of a man who is fighting against drowning, reminds the spectators of the crucial need to wear a lifejacket whenever one goes out to sea.
The operation targeted a large audience, which was not only composed of people who merely enjoy water activities, but also of boating enthusiasts, and genuine professionals.