Jaguar Land Rover Defender Honours Rugby Trailblazers for World Cup Campaign

Jaguar Land Rover’s Defender has unveiled a new advertising, social and sponsorship campaign for the Rugby World Cup. 

The films, directed by Scott Carthy through Annex, were filmed on location in Japan, France, and the UK.

The campaign was created by Accenture Song with senior creative Andrew Edelston on the TVC and the senior creatives Jamie Woodington and Richard Fox Robinson creating social films and the sponsorship idents, all under the creative directorship of Matt Statham and Chris McDonald. 

“Our campaign ‘Embrace the impossible’ was a celebration of inner strength and determination to overcome any obstacle” says Andrew Edelston. “Our aim was to uncover and celebrate rugby trailblazers who have used their inner strength to change the game for the better. Be that overcoming ageism, sexism, poverty, disability, and cultural taboos to name a few.  The hero TVC and a series of social films tell the stories of our trailblazers, whilst an ident campaign saw them cast as monumental 7ft statues. Then, using the capability of Defender, we show these statues being driven across the length of France for the Rugby World Cup”. 

Andrew adds “Given our diverse cast and nature, we needed a Director who was as at home talking to a 90-year-old from Japan as he was a 14-year-old from Blackburn. Scott Carthy was perfect for this. Not only does he have a great photographic eye, but he has a real understanding of what makes a story compelling, which he brought to the whole campaign”.

Scott Carthy says, “The Defender RWC campaign was an exciting and important moment to champion unsung heroes of the sport, calling them out as torchbearers for the game and then placing these local giants front and centre on the concourse of one of the stadiums. For me films and concepts like this are an important way of inspiring a wider audience who might not otherwise cross their paths, showcasing different characters that represent the true spirit of the game.”