MCLAREN: ARTURA LAUNCH

TitleMCLAREN: ARTURA LAUNCH
BrandMCLAREN
Product/ServiceLIVE CAR LAUNCH
Category A06. Overall Aesthetic Design
Entrant MEDIA.MONKS London, UNITED KINGDOM
Idea Creation MEDIA.MONKS London, UNITED KINGDOM
Idea Creation 2 MCLAREN MARKETING Surrey, UNITED KINGDOM
Production MEDIA.MONKS London, UNITED KINGDOM
Additional Company CONNECT Wolverhampton, UNITED KINGDOM
Credits
Name Company Position
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Describe the creative idea

In February 2021, McLaren launched their all-new hybrid supercar, the Artura – ‘the full force of McLaren’. The culmination of a difficult year, this was a critical point at McLaren, showing that the company was focusing on the future. It was also their first 100% virtual car launch, and they wanted an experience that wasn’t just a virtual replica of a car show – they wanted to surpass physical car launches and make the most of the digital format. So we created an audiovisual interpretation of the full force(s) of McLaren coming together in a spectacular light and music show set at the McLaren Technology Centre, the very birthplace of the Artura. Science and magic coming together to form the supercar of the future. It was their biggest launch ever and surpassed all client benchmarks. We unleashed the full power of digital.

Describe the execution

We created a live-streamed virtual show to tell Artura’s story from start to finish. First, we shone a spotlight on the brand with a cinematic heritage walkthrough voiced by CEO Mike Flewitt, laying out the importance of this launch and shifting McLaren’s focus to the future. The Artura’s signature colour, Flux green, was woven into the narrative through light design as Flewitt physically and narratively approached the Artura. The walkthrough culminated in a virtual reveal-show, a spectacular audiovisual show teasing the car bit by bit – set in a large zoetrope-like circle of LED totems around the car, staged at McLaren HQ, featuring brand ambassador & race driver Daniel Ricciardo – all done entirely in camera. Visually, the pre-programmed light sequence in Flux green was an abstract interpretation of the McLaren ‘force’ and the electric power of this hybrid supercar. We played with camera angles and natural reflections on the car itself as well as the lake that surrounds the McLaren building. All building up to science and magic coming together to form the supercar of the future. The epic soundtrack, composed entirely inhouse, featured mixed-in voices and industrial sounds to symbolise man and machine in a fusion of forces. The reveal was complemented by a bespoke microsite platform, a dynamic driving film with Daniel Ricciardo, a design deep-dive and a Q&A session between superfans and McLaren experts. In terms of process it was a lean production with inhouse creative, a light show designer and programmer creating the sequence, and because it was the height of covid restrictions an extremely skeleton crew onsite capturing the show which was then broadcast live on YouTube and cars.mclaren.com. From idea conception to live event was only about 3 months.