Vauxhall: St George

Credits & Description:

Category: Best Use of Special Events and Stunt/Live Advertising
Advertiser: VAUXHALL
Product/Service: VAUXHALL ASTRA GTC
Agency: McCANN ERICKSON
Media Agency: CARAT, London , UNITED KINGDOM
Executive Creative Director: Vince Mcsweeney (McCann Birmingham)
Art Director: Tim Jones (McCann Birmingham)
Copywriter: James Cross (McCann Birmingham)
Art Director: Barrie Robinson (McCann Birmingham)
Copywriter: Tim Jarvis (McCann Birmingham)
Group Account Director: Paul Dean (McCann Birmingham)
Account Director: Charlotte Manns (McCann Birmingham)
Account Manager: Sophie Vizor (McCann Birmingham)
Agency Producer: Bernadette Griffin (McCann Birmingham)
Director: Dom Murgia (Chief Productions)
Producer: Jess Wreatham (Chief Productions)
Case Study Producer/Director: Paul Griffin (Griffin Productions)
Media placement: 2 X 3D Advertising Mats - Pitch Side At Wembley During First Half. - 6 September 2011
Media placement: 1 X 40 Second TV Spot - ITV – Half Time Ad Break. - 6 September 2011
Media placement: 1 X 3D Alternative Advertising Mat - Pitch Side At Wembley During Second Half. - 6 September 2011

Insights, Strategy & the Idea

Vauxhall were about to launch their new hot hatchback into a crowded market so they asked us to create some noise around the pre-launch. Vauxhall have a strong connection with the England football team through their sponsorship of Home Nations football and we decided that this is where we would find our audience...

Creative Execution
Vauxhall were granted permission to place a product ad where nobody had ever done so before: on the Wembley pitch and two 3D mats made to look like the new car were placed either side of the goals. We saw the opportunity to take it further and to entertain the millions watching at home, we made a TV ad that featured a rogue steward, dressed as St George, who decides to take one of the cars for a spin on the hallowed turf of Wembley. The ad ran at half-time and gave the impression that the viewer was privy to a broadcasting error. We didn’t stop there either. We also swapped one of the mats during half-time so that it matched the position of the car at the end of our ad – complete with St George’s flag draped on the boot.

Results and Effectiveness
Hundreds of Tweets appeared on the night. Firstly about the mats, then the ad and finally the fact that we had swapped the mat. Videos of people recording the moment appeared on YouTube and the whole thing was even discussed the following morning on the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show, turning a pitch invasion into a media invasion.