BIG BELL

TitleBIG BELL
BrandTACO BELL
Product/ServiceTACO BELL
Category E03. Technology
Entrant EDELMAN London, UNITED KINGDOM
Idea Creation EDELMAN London, UNITED KINGDOM
PR EDELMAN London, UNITED KINGDOM
Production UNIT9 London, UNITED KINGDOM
Production 2 PRIORY POST London, UNITED KINGDOM
Production 3 OFFSET AUDIO London, UNITED KINGDOM
Credits
Name Company Position
Mattias Ronge Edelman UK Chief Communication Officer
Stefan Ronge Edelman UK Chief Communication Officer
Anders Hallén Edelman UK Chief Innovation Officer
Jamie Cordwell Edelman UK Creative Director
Annabelle Bould Edelman UK Account Manager
Guen Murroni Edelman UK Agency Producer
Lucy Melling Edelman UK Managing Director
Jordan Atlas Edelman US Executive Creative Director
Julie Blakely Edelman US Associate Creative Director
Gabe Duran Edelman US Senior Copywriter
Anna Schultz Edelman US Junior Designer
Jill Knisley Edelman US Global Client Lead
Katie Brownstein Edelman US Account Supervisor

Write a short summary of what happens in the digital or ambient execution or campaign.

Big Ben was down for repairs. For four years, London would be missing the classic hourly chimes which offer a soundtrack to the city. What a fantastic time for Taco Bell to make its first appearance in the capital. To launch Taco Bell in London, our guerrilla outdoor stunt made Londoners believe – just for a moment – that their beloved Bell had sprung back to life. We enlisted the help of a professional sound engineer, to remaster Taco Bell’s jingle and imitate the famous Westminster chimes. Then, we created a camouflaged directed audio network, to build the illusion of the sound coming from thin air.…and hid those speakers in something every Londoner ignores…rickshaws. Then we played the bells, guerrilla-style, to passers-by and watched the surprise and confusion ensue.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

Big Ben is on of London’s most iconic landmarks. The sound of Big Ben’s bell chime, known as The Westminster Quarters, is a familiar and loved sound in London, offering a soundtrack to the city and accompanying Londoners on their way to work every day. Big Ben was down for repairs and the chimes wouldn’t be ringing for four years. The silence of the bell is an atmospheric reality for Londoners who would be aware of the unusual quiet. We knew that if Londoners were to hear the sound of The Westminster Chimes at this time, it would be noticed and would become a talking point for public and the media.

Explain how the work innovatively used the outdoor medium.

The success of the launch campaign (including all earned media and coverage which followed) depended entirely on the successful exploitation, mimicking and management of that particular Outdoor environment. The innovative outdoor stunt required serious sound and audio design to convincingly trick the public in to thinking they were hearing the real Big Ben ring out over the capital where it had previously been silent. Sounds designers and producers had to account for impacts and effects of ambient sound within their track and planning, in order for the stunt to work. A 'behind the scenes' showing the making of the bell sound and speaker system is attached to the entry, in addition to the case film. Members of the public encountered the stunt in real time in the outdoor space, as they went about their regular days.