Wikipedia

noitulovE

noitulovE( "Evolution"backwards) is a Britishtelevision and cinemaadvertisementlaunched byDiageoin 2005 to promoteGuinness Draughtstout.The 60-second piece formed the cornerstone of a£15 millionadvertising campaigntargeting men in their late twenties and early thirties. The commercial shows, in reverse, the adventures of three characters who evolve frommudskippersto present day humans before tasting Guinness in a Londonpub.The commercial was handled by theadvertising agencyAbbott Mead Vickers BBDO,with a budget of £1.3M. It was directed byDaniel Kleinman.Production was contracted toKleinman Productions,withpost-productionbyFramestore CFC.It premiered onBritish televisionon 3 October 2005.

noitulovE
AframefromnoitulovE
AgencyAbbott Mead Vickers BBDO
ClientDiageo
LanguageEnglish
Running time60seconds
Product
Release date(s)3 October 2005 (Television)
Directed byDaniel Kleinman
Music byPeter Raeburn(arrangement)
Cy Coleman&Dorothy Fields(original song)
Sammy Davis Jr.(performance)
Production
company		Kleinman Productions
Produced byJohnnie Frankel
CountryUnited Kingdom
Budget£1.3 million (advert)[1]
£15 million (campaign)[2]
Preceded byMustang
Followed byFridge
Official websitehttp:// guinness /

noitulovEis the fifth television/cinema piece in theGood things come to those who waitseries, and its premiere marked the end of a four-year hiatus. The advert and its associated campaign were a critical and financial success. It received over 30 awards from professional organisations in the advertising and television industries, and was the most-awarded commercial worldwide in 2006. The impact of the campaign was such that during a period in which the UK beer market experienced a substantial decline inrevenue,Guinness reported that its year-on-year earnings within the region had noticeably increased. At the same time, Guinness achieved its highest-ever volume and value shares and became themarket leaderwithin the region. This was attributed in no small part to the positive reception ofnoitulovE.

Sequence

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Three patrons take their first sip of Guinness in a London pub. "The Rhythm of Life" as performed bySammy Davis Jr.in the1969 film versionof the musicalSweet Charitybegins to play as a reverse-motion sequence begins. The three men appear to retreat from the bar and into the street, other patrons disappearing as they pass. As they move down the street, a reversetime-lapsesequence transforms their clothes to match a rapidly changing urban scene, which progresses through modern-day London to theEdwardian period.Street features such aselectric lightstransform intogas lampsand buildings begin to disappear frame by frame. A shortcutaway sequenceshows the city regressing into the past, shrinking to a smallAnglo-Saxonsettlement, before disappearing entirely. Returning to the main sequence, the three men's clothes and hairstyles change intoBronze Ageequivalents as they pass through thickening woodland. A close-up of one of the characters shows his features have transformed into those of aNeanderthal.The three men are then frozen in anice ageglacier.

They re-emerge from the glacier as primitive hominids, their clothes ripped away to revealloincloths.They continue to walk backwards with a moresimiangait, and soon turn intochimpanzees.From there, they are transformed into a number of different species in quick succession, includingflying squirrels,furry mammals,aquatic mammals,fish,flightless birds,smalldinosaurs,and burrowinglizardcreatures. The environment around them changes rapidly as they travel. Finally, the three becomemudskippersaround a murky puddle. The action briefly moves forward again to show the middle character expressing his disgust at the taste of the water. The sequence ends with a transition to a product shot of three pints of Guinness, accompanied by thestrapline"Good things come to those who wait."[3]

Production

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Background

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Main article:Good things come to those who wait
Fifteen newCGIcharacters were created during post-production for the commercial.

Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO won the account for Guinness in 1996 with a campaign built on their new strapline "Good things come to those who wait".They produced several commercials using variations on the theme, includingSwimblack,Bet on Black,and the critically acclaimedSurfer,voted the "Best Advert of All Time" by the British public in 2002.[4]After the 2001Dreameradvertisements, Diageo, the corporate owners of Guinness, decided to pursue a more pan-European marketing strategy.[1]The strapline proved difficult to translate, and was abandoned. Several new straplines were tried out over the next three years, including "Believe" (FreeandTom Crean) and "A story of darkness and light" (MothandMustang).

The new marketing strategy did not prove particularly successful, and in 2004 Diageo returned to regional advertising.[1]AMV BBDO were presented with the choice of coming up with either a new theme to appeal to the 18–35 British male demographic or a new angle on the tried and tested Good things... concept. A number of ideas were put forward, including "The Longest Wait".[1]From this concept,noitulovEwas quickly plotted out: the advert would show three individuals waiting 500,000,000 years before finally taking their first sip of Guinness, the timeline compressed into a 50-second clip. The decision to run the "Evolution sequence" in reverse was taken fairly early, as it was felt that it would better hold viewers' interest during a 60-second television spot.[1][3]

Pre-production

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The project had not yet beengreenlitwhen the agency approachedDaniel Kleinman,known for his work onJames Bondtitle sequences, with the intention of taking him on as a director. After looking over the concept pitch and a rough draft of the script, Kleinman's immediate impressions were that the idea was "fresh", "an opportunity to try out some new techniques", and that it would "put Guinness back on track, doing a big 'wow' idea".[5]

Kleinman contacted a pair of Canadiangraphic novelartists to begin thestoryboardingprocess. Storyboarding the commercial meant that the agency could determine how much of the £1.3M budget to allocate to each section, and provided them with visuals to use as part of the presentation to Diageo when pitching the various concepts for a decision on which to pursue. The effort paid off and approval was given to move ahead with production.[1]

Production

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Production of the commercial took place over two months, withprincipal photographyshot inIceland.Time-lapse photographs were taken of the country'smudpots,volcanic terrain and frozen lakes using35 mm filmcameras. The shooting was done in the early summer for thenearly continuous daylightthat the season afforded them.[1]The next pieces of the commercial to be assembled were thelive-actionsegments, shot in agreenscreenstudio in London. Filming was done in three stages, with the three actors changing into different sets ofprosthetic makeupat each stage. For the final section the actors spent a week practising thechoreographybehind walking backwards with an appropriately simian gait. Wires were attached to the back of each actor, allowing them to lean forwards to give the impression that they were being "sucked back in time" when the final cut was put together.[6]While filming the actor sequences, VFX supervisor William Bartlett filmed the aerial view of London fromTower 42's Vertigo bar.[3]

With computer-generated imagery looking to make up so much of the commercial, Kleinman attempted to use film of real elements wherever possible. To this end, 200 mudskippers were brought to the studio from South Africa for the final scene, arriving viaSingapore.An entire afternoon was set aside for filming the mudskipper sequence. The footage obtained formed the major part of the final cut of the scene, with only one or two post-production changes: the addition oftail finsand animation of the expression of disgust that closes the piece.[1][3]Stop motionfootage of other real elements was taken, including a stage-by-stageblowtorchingof plants, used to show flora coming back to life in the reverse sequence, and shots of baking bread, used to model the geological changes to background rock formations.[7]Additional real elements were to have been incorporated into the commercial, mostly fromstock footageof several animal species, but only short segments of apes and lizards appeared in the final cut.[6]

Post-production

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Post-production work was handled mostly by Framestore CFC, who had worked on previous Guinness campaignsSurfer[8]andDreamer,[9]and had worked with Daniel Kleinman on a number of outside projects, including several commercials and James Bond title sequences. The project was overseen by William Bartlett, known for hisvisual effectswork on theBBCtelevision documentaryWalking with Dinosaurs.The original schedule allowed for three and a half months in post-production, with airing of the commercial to follow almost immediately.[1]

The 24-man animation team was split into two groups. Half were assigned to the creation of the 15 new CGI creatures populatingnoitulovE(inMaya), while the other half created the backgrounds (inHoudini).Compositingwork – combining the greenscreen shots with stock footage and CGI elements – was performed inFlameandInferno.As the final commercial was to be shown on cinema screens, the animators worked at a resolution higher than that afforded by the576idefinition used by BritishPAL-encoded television sets, to improve the appearance of the advert when projected.[1][10]

Near the end of post-production, thecreative teamdecided that the music chosen to accompany the advert, anelectronictrack byGroove Armada,was not working particularly well.Peter Raeburn,who had chosen the track used inSurfer(Leftfield's "Phat Planet" ), was brought on as music director. Raeburn suggested three pieces, with "Rhythm of Life" ultimately presented to Guinness as an alternative and approved as a replacement.[1]

Release and reception

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Schedule

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noitulovEwas originally to have begun its run in September 2005, but the airdate was pushed back several weeks as post-production took longer than anticipated.[1]As had been the case with several earlier campaigns, the commercial was to air in several bursts, throughout 2005 and 2006. Spots were purchased in the commercial breaks of sports broadcasts, high-budgettelevision dramasand shows whose primary audience overlapped with the campaign's target demographic of British males in the 24–35 age range. The first burst was commissioned to run from 3 October to 13 November 2005, during programming such as theUEFA Champions League,Lost,Vincent,Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeawayandterrestrial televisionscreenings ofAustin Powers: Goldmember.[11]

The second burst lasted through December. The focus moved tomultichannel television,with appearances inlivetelevisedfootball matches,films, and popular programming such asI'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!.Two further bursts were commissioned for 2006, to run from 15 May to 9 June and 22 August to 8 October. Programmes selected for the May–June burst includedCelebrity X Factor,Big Brotherand live football and cricket matches. The final series of spots ran during programming totalling 56ratings pointsper week (56% of British television viewers), with much of the budget assigned to multichannel television.[11]

Awards

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noitulovEwas well received by critics within the advertising and television industries, and was predicted to win the 2006Cannes LionsFilm Grand Prix, one of the advertising industry's highest awards.Advertising Agesaid of the piece: "A flawless DGI production to an irresistible piece of music propelling a brilliant, astonishingly witty new iteration of a longstanding, unique positioning. This isn't just great advertising; it is perfect advertising."[30]Gastón Bigio, Executive Creative Director forDel Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchiremarked on the campaign in the run-up to the festival, saying "noitulovEis, in my opinion, the best. [...] This execution is absolutely incredible, as is the production. "[16][31]The main competition for the prize was thought to be the AustralianBig AdforCarltondraught beer, and the BritishBalls,forSony'sBRAVIAline ofhigh-definition televisionsets. After the three received Gold Lions in the Film category, they were shortlisted by the judges as contenders for the Grand Prix. Ultimately, the honour went tonoitulovE.After the decision, David Droga, president of the jury which determined the outcome, said "It's a very very strong ad. A lot of the jurors felt that it was not only a stand-alone, remarkable ad, but also a triumphant return for a fabulous campaign."[32]The victory placed director Daniel Kleinman at Number 29 inThe Independent'slist of the Top 50 Newsmakers of 2006.[33]

The 2006 edition of theGunn Report,an authoritative annual publication determining the advertising industry's most critically successful campaigns, revealed thatnoitulovEhad received more awards that year than any other campaign worldwide.[20]Among the awards were threeClios,twoGolden Sharks,and the Special Jury Prize at theImagina Awards.

The ad was also a hit with the public. It has been credited by Guinness as being responsible for the substantial boost in sales experienced by the brand during the period in which it was broadcast. While revenues within the UK beer market declined by an average of −0.4% (−£19M), the year-on-year figures for Guinness showed an increase of 3.6% (+£13.3M).[11]Between October 2005 and October 2006, Guinness achieved its highest ever volume (6.8%) and value (7.4%) shares,[11]taking the position ofmarket leaderfromStella Artois.Diageo attributed the growth in no small part to the positive reception garnered bynoitulovE.[34]

Legacy

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As one of the most recognisable British television advertisements of 2006,noitulovEwas one of two commercials (the other being Sony'sBalls) to feature in a £200M campaign launched byDigital UKto raise awareness of theimminent switchoverwithin the UK fromanaloguetodigital television.[35]New versions of the two adverts were produced, showing the first few seconds of the original spot before being interrupted by "Digit Al", an animated spokesman for the campaign.

In 2004, Guinness launched a retrospective television advertising campaign promotingGuinness Extra Coldstout, featuring new ten-second versions of commercials broadcast between 1984 and 2004. These includedMars(withRutger Hauerreprising his role as the "Pure Genius" ),[36]Anticipation,Fish Bicycle,Surfer,andBet on Black.[37]noitulovEjoined the campaign in 2006, and was the only piece to receive more than one new version. In the first of these, the patrons are encased only seconds after taking their first sip of Guinness in a glacier identical to the one which appeared halfway through the original spot. In the second, the sea through which the three fish bound backwards in the original spot is frozen while the trio are in mid-leap, leaving the characters skidding across the surface. In the final version, theprimevalpool at the end of the original spot freezes while the mudskippers are taking their drink, and the protagonists' tongues are left stuck in the ice.[38]

WhennoitulovEwas first proposed, it was the only pitch revisiting the Good things come to those who wait campaign, as, according to copywriter Ian Heartfield, both AMV BBDO and Diageo "didn't think [they] could do something good enough to warrant following on from Surfer and the like."[1]However, following the success ofnoitulovE,three additional commercials have been aired within the Good Things... campaign:Fridge,Hands,andTipping Point(Guinness' most expensive advertising campaign to date).[39]

References

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  1. ^abcdefghijklmArcher, Katy (16 January 2006)."The Art of Advertising".(Interview with Matt Doman and Ian Heartfield).Channel 4.Retrieved26 January2008.
  2. ^Wilson, Giles (7 October 2005)."A step back in time".BBC News.Retrieved26 January2008.
  3. ^abcd"500,000,000 years in 50 seconds flat".(press release).Framestore CFC.4 October 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 9 February 2008.Retrieved26 January2008.
  4. ^"100 Greatest Ads of All Time".Channel 4/The Sunday Times.14 June 2002.Retrieved26 January2008.
  5. ^Kleinman, Daniel.noitulovE(Making Of). Guinness. Archived fromthe original(swf)on 5 December 2008.Retrieved26 January2008.(requires age verification)
  6. ^abSeymour, Mike (interviewer); Bartlett, William (subject) (8 December 2005).Making of noitulovE(video podcast). FXGuide. Archived fromthe original(m4v)on 22 December 2006.Retrieved26 January2008.
  7. ^abBlackwell, Lewis."Worth the Wait".Epica Awards. Archived fromthe originalon 15 October 2007.Retrieved26 January2008.
  8. ^"Guinness 'Surfer'".Framestore CFC (accessed viaInternet Archive). Archived fromthe originalon 21 January 2008.Retrieved26 January2008.
  9. ^"Making the fur fly for Guinness".Framestore CFC (accessed viaInternet Archive). Archived fromthe originalon 9 February 2008.Retrieved25 January2008.
  10. ^Seymour, Mike (8 December 2005)."Doing Effects Backwards".FXGuide.Archived fromthe originalon 4 February 2008.Retrieved26 January2008.
  11. ^abcde"Guinness case study".Thinkbox.15 January 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 17 October 2007.Retrieved26 January2008.
  12. ^"ADC Announces Winners of 85th Annual Awards".(press release).Art Directors Club. 17 April 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 17 October 2012.Retrieved26 January2008.
  13. ^abcd"June 2006 News".Framestore CFC (accessed viaInternet Archive). 25 June 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 18 October 2006.Retrieved25 August2008.
  14. ^ab"Imagina that!".UK Screen Association News. 4 February 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 12 February 2012.Retrieved26 January2008.
  15. ^"2006 Craft Award Winners".British Television Advertising Awards. Archived fromthe originalon 16 October 2012.Retrieved26 January2008.
  16. ^ab"Guinness ad tops in Cannes".Chicago Sun-Times.27 June 2006.
  17. ^"Clio Awards Winners 2006".(press release).Clio Awards. 16 May 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 12 February 2012.Retrieved26 January2008.
  18. ^abc"noitulovE detail summary".AdForum.Retrieved26 January2008.
  19. ^"2006 Awards Entry".D&AD Global Awards. Archived fromthe originalon 25 June 2008.Retrieved26 January2008.
  20. ^abGunn, Donald; Wilkie, Emma (30 November 2006).The Gunn Report and Showreel of the Year(8th ed.). Holbrook: FlaxmanWilkie.ISBN978-0-9551646-1-3.
  21. ^"Winners list 2006"(PDF).IAPI Shark Advertising Awards. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 25 March 2007.Retrieved26 January2008.
  22. ^"2006 GRANDY $50,000 Winner".International ANDY Awards. 25 March 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 12 September 2012.Retrieved26 January2008.
  23. ^"List of FAB Award Winners 2006"(PDF).International Food And Beverage Creative Awards. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 4 November 2009.Retrieved15 August2011.
  24. ^The work associated with the campaign also contributed to the nomination for the Agency of the Year award received by AMV BBDO.
  25. ^"2006 Winners".London International Awards. Archived fromthe originalon 14 September 2007.Retrieved26 January2008.
  26. ^"Originally awarded to Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, London for Draught Guinness –"noitulovE".However, it has since been brought to our attention that this music did not meet the requirements for this category which state "Music with sung or spoken lyrics that was specifically created for the entered commercial. The" song "must be a new piece that has not existed in any form before" —London International Awards Authority.Archived14 September 2007 at theWayback Machine
  27. ^"List of Midsummer Awards Winners 2006".Midsummer Awards. 14 July 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 17 February 2012.Retrieved26 January2008.
  28. ^"Winners 2006".One Club / One Show. Archived fromthe originalon 14 December 2007.Retrieved26 January2008.
  29. ^"Framestore CFC Teams Scoop Two Top VES Awards".UK Screen Association News. 16 February 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 12 February 2012.Retrieved26 January2008.
  30. ^Garfield, B;Bob Garfield's Pick for Cannes Film Grand Prix: Guinness,Advertising Age,18 June 2006. Retrieved 22 November 2007
  31. ^Fera, R A;Evolved opinionsArchived20 November 2008 at theWayback Machine,Boards,Brunico Communications Ltd. 1 July 2006. Retrieved 20 October 2007.
  32. ^Diaz, A C;Guinness 'Noitulove' Wins Cannes Film Grand Prix,Advertising Age,24 June 2006. Retrieved 21 November 2007.
  33. ^The Top 50 Newsmakers of 2006Archived1 December 2007 at theWayback Machine,The Independent,18 December 2006. Retrieved 21 November 2007.
  34. ^"Following the launch ofnoitulovE,Guinness has achieved its highestmarket shareon-trade. We have no doubt that the ad was a key part of what has been driving recent growth for the brand. "—Georgina Meddows-Smith, Head of Guinness Marketing, On-trade, DiageoArchived17 October 2007 at theWayback Machine.
  35. ^Debut for £200M switchover awareness adsArchived9 November 2007 at theWayback Machine,DTG News, Lovelace Consulting, 5 May 2006. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
  36. ^"Guinness Penguins/Bullets".Rutgerhauer.org.Retrieved26 January2008.
  37. ^Whitehead, Jennifer (8 June 2004)."Twist on iconic Guinness surfers in £3.5m Extra Cold ads".Brand Republic.Retrieved26 January2008.
  38. ^noitulovE Extra Cold compilation.Guinness. 2006. Archived fromthe original(swf)on 9 January 2007.Retrieved26 January2008.
  39. ^Sweeney, Mark (8 November 2007)."Guinness ad topples record".The Guardian.Retrieved26 January2008.
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Preceded by Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix Winner
2006 		Succeeded by

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