Building on a successful 5+ year relationship of launching and activating campaigns for MG Motor UK, M3.agency was invited to pitch for the launch of the new MG3 Hybrid+ campaign. The pitch was part of the brand's wider celebration of its centenary year.
Pitch process
The pitch process started with M3's account team leveraging their extensive automotive and MG brand experience as well as evolving the creative thinking to 'move the brand on' from the creative brand visual that had been historically in place - another part of the 100-year anniversary.
Our creative team gathered for a series of internal workshops to explore the MG brand on a deeper level whilst maintaining a progressive approach to the brief. We pitched our ideas to MG and the client loved the concept from the start.
Creative concept
"A key thing that stood out to us was that car brands don't highlight the EV driving experience. They tend to focus on 'range', 'green driving' and vehicle features. For the MG3 Hybrid+ we wanted to bring the experience to the forefront of the campaign".
(Lennon Kelly, Client Services Director at M3.agency)
"We went back to basics and explored 'what is driving?' And 'How does driving this car make you feel?' We created a whole rationalisation around that and then started to build numerous creative concepts that harnessed those emotions. Working closely with Shaun Loynds, our Senior Art Director, we arrived at 'Feel Good'. A simple, but meaningful concept that all audience groups can relate to and really captures the MG3 Hybrid+ driving experience."
(Justin Griffiths, Creative Director at M3.agency)
'Feel Good' connects on an emotional level. The challenge was how to capture that feeling and visualise 'Feel Good' in a visually stimulating, imaginative way that would be memorable to audiences. This is where the 'Aura' was born. The Aura is a visual representation of 'Feel Good' and visually communicates how the driver is feeling when driving the MG3 Hybrid+.
We got to work on designing the Aura and how the mechanics of it would work. We wanted to create an organic composite that would respond to its environment and create a sense of excitement and personality. We also wanted to create something vibrant and capture the hearts and minds of the audience: A memorable supporting character to the story.
"The beauty of the 'Feel Good' Aura is that it represents whatever the viewers deem as their version of 'Feel Good'. It could be a Summer's day, an experience, a morning coffee - it's entirely ownable by the audience as well as the campaign itself.
(Candice Donnelly, Account Director at M3.agency)
The TV ad offers a unique perspective of the car being the principal character.
“We wanted to flip the thinking behind traditional automotive TV adverts by making the car the principal character in the advert, delivering its own features and emotional connection with the audience.”
(Justin Griffiths, Creative Director at M3 Agency)
The shoot/production
With a strong creative concept, our team got to work creating a variation of story ideas that would embody 'Feel Good' with the MG3 Hybrid+ being the principal character of the story. We sourced and recruited the supporting characters throughout the ad.
The TV ad is shot exclusively around Brindley Place and Sutton Park in Birmingham. The UK's second city has some fantastic shoot locations and being proud of the city where we are based, as well as the historical link to the MG brand, it felt like the perfect location for the shoot.
We partnered with Lambda Films for the production after an impressive proposal that demonstrated that they understood the creative concept and storyboard for the TV ad.
Max Johnson and his VFX team brought the Aura to life. It was important that the Aura felt like an organic, living composite that reacted to its environment, encapsulated excitement (Feel Good) and delivered a vibrant visual for the ad. 
Activation
The headline TV ad has launched across national broadcast channels including Sky Sports, Amazon, ITV,
Channel 4. The rollout of the 'Feel Good' campaign is also active across digital channels, Radio and Digital Out-of-Home.
The creative team at M3 ensured that the 'Feel Good' campaign was delivered in line with the team's ambition by:
- Location scouting across Birmingham to shoot the TV ad and lifestyle photography of the MG3 Hybrid+
- Directing the VFX team to bring the Aura concept to life
- Directing the retouching of the MG3 Hybrid+ photography to ensure that it created the right visual mood
- Designing the campaign graphics and narrative to deliver the most impact across digital channels
- Creating the radio ad script, casting a voice-over and directing the delivery
In conclusion, the MG3 Hybrid+ campaign represents a triumph of collaboration, creativity, and strategic vision - a testament to M3.agency's ability to deliver impactful campaigns that resonate with audiences and drive tangible results.
Digital Out-of-Home - Liverpool
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