Behind the Work: As Easy as 1-2-3 with Carsome
Exaggeration and quirkiness in advertising are often a thin line to tread, but VMLY&R Thailand have struck the perfect balance for this Carsome commercial. To portray the ease of buying a used car with Carsome – literally, needing just a single hand to do it – they have used bold humour and a touch of Thai insights, to create the film.
The ad features a couple in their living room, the husband eagerly searching for used cars online and his wife is worried about false advertising, over-pricing and scams. In a surprise twist, as they converse, the cars they are browsing start to dramatically drop into the room. Then, a Carsome representative shows up to ease the wife’s worries and assure the couple that there is nothing easier than buying a used car off Carsome – so easy, that the husband doesn’t need any part of his body but a single hand!
Visually stimulating, dramatic and peppered with wit, this short film not only aligns with the brand’s promises that offer ‘peace of mind’ services based on honesty, trust and transparency, but also leaves audiences with something to remember.
Chaval Sindhusingha, creative group head at VMLY&R Thailand took LBB’s Zoe Antonov behind the scenes of the campaign to tell her more about working with open-minded clients and the power of standing out.
LBB> What was the brief for this campaign like?
Chaval> It was simple - We were asked to simply come up with an interesting way to emphasize the ease of buying used cars in the new awesome with Carsome, so we had a lot of legroom to be creative.
LBB> The ad is memorable and quirky in its own way! What was the brainstorming process like and how did the team come to the final idea?
Chaval> The brainstorm was fun! The team discussed different ways to highlight just how easy the Carsome platform is to use. Ideas came from trying to fill in the gap – ‘Carsome is so easy to use that….’ This led us down a path to discovering that all you literally need is one hand, which formed the basis of the central idea.
LBB> What was the animation process like? How long did it take?
Chaval> We used a real human hand shot on green screen for the hand shots – then added computer graphics which took us one month to complete. For the key visual of the campaign, we created a 3D hand visual which took us three weeks to complete.
LBB> What were the most challenging aspects of the campaign?
Chaval> Time was the most challenging aspect, as we needed to launch communication quickly to be the first in the market!
LBB> And the most fun?
Chaval> It’s always fun to work with such a brave and open-minded client. The client really understood what we were trying to do and bought wholeheartedly into our idea – which made the campaign a fun one to work on.
LBB> How long did the production process take from start to finish?
Chaval> Two months.
LBB> What were the main messages you wanted to convey for the brand and how did you decide that this was the best approach?
Chaval> We set out to highlight the key insight behind the work, emphasizing how every person has different needs and concerns when buying a car, especially a used car. Ultimately, however, people are most interested in buying a car with an assurance of quality, and without an overly complicated process. This is Carsome’s key selling point, so getting this message across was crucial. The key message is that at Carsome, they empower people to move forward with peace of mind. They exist to enable and push those that desire to move forward in life with mobility solutions that give them pride, excitement, and peace of mind.
LBB> What has the public reaction to the ad been like since it aired?
Chaval> It’s all been very positive, and we’ve had lots of comments about how funny the film is.
LBB> Nailing funny and bold in a campaign for something like buying second-hand cars must be quite difficult. How did you go about combining bold humour and still being able to portray the brand as useful to clients?
Chaval> To launch the brand, we needed to be bold and stand out. Being funny and quirky is relevant to the market here in Thailand. Thai people respond to humour, and it can make a brand memorable, so getting this right was important. The client was also keen on this kind of approach for the same reasons.
