M&C Saatchi Grows Bee Beard for San Diego Zoo

M&C Saatchi has released another ad for the San Diego Zoo as part of its ongoing campaign designed to stoke children’s interest in the zoo’s Tiger Trail exhibit.

In the spot, a boy has magically grown a full beard made entirely of bees. When a girl asks him how he grew it, he flashes back to a visit to the San Diego Zoo where he communed with tigers and apparently absorbed some kind of mysterious power. It builds off of M&C Saatchi’s previous work promoting the exhibit, focusing on the way interacting with wildlife helps stokes kids’ imaginations. It may, however, be a little too dependent on previous ads to understand its intention, as it otherwise can seem disjointed and a little nonsensical. Still, it’s hard to argue with a bee beard, especially one as convincing as this. To bring it to life, M&C Saatchi collaborated with production company Epoch Films and visual effects company Timber, combining footage of real swarming bees with CGI.

“?They were really committed to the process from our very first conversations, and delivered impressively on everything we talked about,” director Matthew Swanson told Great-Ads, “…the entire team at Timber made sure there wasn’t a single i undotted or t uncrossed.?” (more…)

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M&C Saatchi LA Taps ‘Tiger Power’ for San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Yesterday M&C Saatchi LA launched a new campaign for the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s new Tiger Trail exhibit, opening to the public on May 24, 2014. The multimedia campaign consists of TV, print, digital, outdoor and transit, targeting the Southern California region.

All three of the TV spots in the campaign feature kids visiting the new Tiger Trail at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and meeting a real Sumatran Tiger face to face, allowing them to tap into their own “tiger power,” which they put to unexpected use. In “Guitar Star” featured above, for example, a tween boy (with a somewhat disturbing mustache) continues rocking out at full volume even after his father pulls the plug on his amp.

“Tigers have an almost mythological connotation for their power and mystique. We wanted to show kids tapping into that to develop their confidence, their own tiger power, explained James Bray, creative director at M&C Saatchi LA.

“With the debut of this new exhibit, our guests will have a thrilling and awe-inspiring personal encounter with majestic Sumatran Tigers, and at the same time learn of the threats to this critically endangered species,” said Ted Molter, Chief Marketing Officer for San Diego Zoo Global.  “This campaign playfully asks our guests to identify with the confidence and power of tigers in the hopes that it will build greater appreciation for one of nature’s top predators.”

Stick around for “Monster Truck” and “Fireman,” along with credits, after the jump. continued…

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