Mad Cow Films Fuels its New Agency on Brothers Cider

Mad Cow Films Fuels its New Agency on Brothers Cider
 
Mad Cow Create, the new creative arm of London production
company Mad Cow Films, is welcomed to the agency
community with a splashy new TVC for Brothers.

Mad Cow Create's first TVC for Brothers Cider evokes a party atmosphere.

As further proof that the lines between clients, ad agencies and production houses are blurring around the world, a new agency is making a name for itself in London with a splashy, upbeat new TVC for the perfect summer refresher.
 
The client in question is Brothers Cider, the Somerset, England-based maker of pear and fruit ciders.  In a new spot titled "Welcome to the Family," hordes of attractive young people gather in a circus-like setting to break open bottles of Brothers Strawberry and Pear flavored cider.  The spot was created by Mad Cow Create, the newly formed creative arm of the London production house Mad Cow Films, and represents the nascent agency's first work for a major broadcast client.
 
As expected, the spot was produced through Mad Cow Films, with Director Nick Vecchi helping create a playful atmosphere that shows off the brand and its relevance to young partygoers.  Working with a music score provided by the US-based group Cults and a remix of its "Go Outside" track, the spot shows aerial artists, stilt walkers, even a giant mechanical dinosaur, all mixing freely with the people at the party.
 
"Welcome to the Family" debuted in late June online, and broke on UK broadcast and cinema outlets on 11 July.  Additional content from the shoot, along with out-takes and behind-the-scenes footage, can be seen on the Brothers web site by clicking here.
 
The strategy behind the spot, says Mad Cow Create Digital Producer Stuart Watson, is an acknowledgement of the brand's roots in music festival culture.  It opens with a shot of a fruit tree, this one bearing both strawberries and pears.  As we zoom in for a close up, the fruits explode into a torrent of cider, which parts to reveal the festival going on within.

As directed by Mad Cow Films Nick Vecchi, "Welcome to the Family" captures a circus-like feel.

The band that provided the spots dreamy soundtrack, Cults, is the latest signing to pop singer Lily Allen's record label, and its ethereal music adds an extra dimension to the film. According to Watson, the singer herself suggested the track "Go Outside" via Facebook. It was then remixed for the TVC by the DJ combo known as "The 2 Bears" (a.k.a. Raf Rundell and Joe Goddard of Hot Chip), who gave it a slightly more upbeat twist to suit the party vibe seen in the film.
 
Working directly with the Brothers clients, Vecchi and his crew, led by Mad Cow Producer Nicholas Unsworth, delivered a spot that includes both high-speed photosonic shots of fruits exploding with the highly-stylized scenes of the festival.  "The goal of the ad was to bring to life the whole brand ethos of Brothers," says Watson.  "The title says it all: welcome to the family."
 
"This campaign is hugely important to us, so we had to ensure we selected the right agency that would capture the essence of the brand," comments Cheryl Sheppard, Consumer Marketing Manager, Brothers Drinks. "We've been delighted with Mad Cow Create; it's been a pleasure to work with such a competent and enthusiastic team. Nothing has been too much for them, and we've been able to take a completely holistic view of the initiative which has been invaluable. We look forward to a continuing relationship with the shop."
 
The Brothers project was overseen by Watson, who held the dual roles of agency producer and creative consultant, who collaborated on the creative with the director and with Creative Director Nick Schanche.
 
Mad Cow Create was formed late last year when Mad Cow Films brought in Watson and James Austin, who's Head of New Business. The goal was to work directly with clients and media agencies on everything from branded content projects to web videos to events.  
 
So what prompted Mad Cow to launch Mad Cow Create?  "We've produced some critically-acclaimed cross-platform work recently," says Pete Chambers, Mad Cow Films Executive Producer.  For example, Mad Cow Film's work for the Metropolitan Police and its anti-knife violence public service campaign (see "Who Killed Deon," directed by Simon Ellis) won four Silver Arrows at this year's BTAA Awards.  "With our 18 years experience as a production company, it seemed like a natural progression for us to begin to provide creative solutions for brands," he continues.  "Since James and Stuart have joined last fall we've been working hard to establish ourselves in the marketplace."
 
The Brothers campaign is something of a coming out party for Mad Cow Create, one that seems to have left all the participants feeling cheered.  The creative arm is part of what Chambers says is a bigger purview for Mad Cow.
 
"We felt we had more to offer than simply production services," he tells SourceEcreative, "and with clients being more cautious of their ad spend and requiring additional elements such as social media production, apps and viral content, we felt we could offer a flexible, nimble solution for both brands and media agencies."
 
Austin says the benefits are tangible.  "Clients get to work with a passionate team that understand the requirements of brands in traditional and non-traditional media, and that brings a commitment to delivering great ideas and execution."
 
"The Brothers campaign came about through James making contact on the strength of previous work Mad Cow Films had completed for a variety of beverage brands," explains Chambers of the connection.  He adds that for Mad Cow Create, this is more than just a one-off TV assignment. "They liked the work we'd done in the past, and this led to us coming up with some initial ideas that were well-received. From there it rolled into not just the TV and cinema, but we'll also be doing online as well."

Published 25 July, 2011