Should brands use existing library footage in adverts? For & against…
Being a location-based director, I hate brands that raid the libraries of Pond5 or Shutterstock to make promo films or TV adverts. Sadly, during the pandemic more & more brands took this route (or used animation) to avoid travel, cutting out all crews & locations. Frustrating… because shoots have remained safe & legal in the UK during all our lockdowns. But then I saw this:
First, I like this product & Easter is coming up… Second, I’m a huge fan of wildlife films & the extraordinary work by teams like the BBC Natural History Unit. The length crews go to get these kind of shots always amazes me. Combining chocolate ingredients with raw wildlife in a new film is an unexpected pleasure. I’d love to know where they found the footage, but I’m pretty sure much of it was shot by Bristol-based wildlife experts.
The film is directed by the award-winning Kim Gehrig, through VCCP London. Green & Black’s focus is on fresh, organic ingredients and this film captures the heart of the brand in a powerful & original style.
According to LLB the campaign was initially proposed by VCCP as part of its pitch for the Green & Black’s account last year. VCCP’s own explanation of their creative approach claims: “Green & Black’s know that the true taste of nature is wildly, deliciously, organic. Since its inception the mission is in their name: Green symbolises their commitment to ethically sourced cocoa, Black stands for the high quality and delicious taste of their chocolate.”
Compare this film to one of Sainsbury’s adverts last year ‘Thank you to all our colleagues’. It’s a mixture of self-shot footage, existing footage & animation that adds up to a heap of nothing (a mashup of three things I hate).
Don’t get me wrong I love my local Supermarket and all the staff have done a fantastic job during the pandemic. This advert leaves me cold because it lacks emotion. Why are Sainsbury’s saying thank you to staff in a consumer style commercial?
Imagine an original film: a real story about the sacrifice one ‘colleague’ has made to help keep our nation fed — there are lots of heroes in retail stores out there & I want to see them! I don’t know who made this film & I don’t care… but then I could be wrong - it’s had 4m views on YouTube since last Summer.
More about our contributor, Gavin Knight
Gavin Knight is on a mission against brand gobbledegook, delivering one beautiful film at a time: A Writer/Director who makes compelling content for brands such as Microsoft, Deloitte & the Financial Times. His work has won over 30 International awards including three Best of Festivals & nine GOLD/SILVER Awards @BFI EVCOM London Film Festival.
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