When you produce events of the calibre Drive is used to, you think you’ve said goodbye to party poppers and balloons. At least that’s what we thought - until we were asked to release ten thousand of the latter into Neal’s Yard, bang in the heart of London’s Covent Garden.

Our brief from Frank PR was to direct and produce a viral movie to enhance the profile of the Aero ‘Feel the Bubbles’ TV campaign. With product owners Nestlé seeking to reinvent their time-honoured aerated chocolate bar in order to reach a younger demographic, we needed to make a movie that appealed to young people without targeting them specifically on film - it’s now against the law. Yes, it’s true: the days of the Milky Bar Kid are well and truly over. The piece also needed to maintain the ‘Street’ feel of the above-the-line TV commercial where untold numbers of chocolate-coloured balloons are let loose in a Californian skatepark along with pro skateboarder Bob Burnquist. The emphasis on the youth market required a radical shift in brand messaging for the chocolate giants and agency JWT - this message needed to go viral and really get people talking. So that’s where we came in.

In true Drive-in style, our inimitable production team were ready for the logistical challenges we knew would present themselves. Hard-won council permissions obliged us to guarantee public access and freedom of movement within the space at all times, minimising disruption to local business, residents and the public by agreeing to strict time limitations: on site at eight and out at noon. This meant engaging the help of the local church - St. Paul’s - to inflate the balloons overnight, ready to be transported, on foot, in 1000-capacity nets, for their morning debut.

Exceeding the original brief, we delivered a concept, a treatment and a narrative, transforming this tranquil West End enclave into an bubble-filled urban dream-scape. Despite the rigorous production schedule we still managed to record the days events with comment and input from public and crew, creating a ‘Making of’ documentary. Images captured on the day by invited Getty photographers have subsequently been archived, ensuring the event the posterity it deserves - and thus reaching as many people again. With featured star UK beatbox champion MC Zani providing an all original royalty-free soundtrack, the finished piece was an out an out winner, successfully released to the web and winner of a 5-star rating on youtube. Enjoy.

Click here to watch the Aero viral video.
Click here to watch the making of video.

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