Royal Enfield unveils global identity for 'Himalayan' motorcycle

In its first campaign since winning the global ADV business this past summer, Droga5 London, part of Accenture Song, worked with Royal Enfield to launch its new motorcycle, the Himalayan.

The bike was designed for the unpredictability of the Himalayas, and the new global identity takes inspiration from the ‘change of plan' mindset that is required when traversing the infamous mountains.

The film, directed by Academy Award winners Martin Desmond Roe and Travon Free, juxtaposes expectation with reality. You go with a plan in mind, but the mountain has a different one. It features CS Santosh, professional Indian off-road and endurance rider, alongside Jesslina Nayyar, with the music production being lead by Grammy Award winner Lorne Balfe and Dirty Soup.

Shelley Smoler, Chief Creative Officer, Droga5 London, said: “The film was conceived and created by the most incredible team of Royal Enfield clients, Droga5, Oscar winning director duo Martin Desmond Roe and Travon Free, and last but certainly not least, the Himalayan mountains. We could not have scripted the crazy and unpredictable elements that the mountain threw our way: the altitude sickness, the crazy weather conditions, the landslides, the beauty, but the Royal Enfield Himalayan was always prepped and primed to take on whatever the mountain had in store."

A key device in the identity, the line, is built to take viewers on a visual journey that is as unpredictable as the one that they would navigate themselves.

Photography, shot on location in the Himalayas by Achille Mauri, showcases the true harsh beauty of the vast landscape, capturing the gritty realities of an exhilarating road trip on the mountain.

The campaign identity flexes from OOH and social sites to a product book, merchandise and apparel, where the visual language proved its malleability and strength, in telling the same unpredictable adventure story in a multitude of ways. From A to ?

Adarsh Saxena - Global Brand Lead-Adventure, Royal Enfield, said: "Every single ride in the Himalayas is different. The mountains are ever-changing, and the new Royal Enfield Himalayan is a creature of this dynamic environment. We wanted the design to be distinctive, ownable and one that takes people on a unique ride. The campaign has tapped into our adaptive adventure mindset and supports the multi-faceted launch with a focus on balance; rugged imagery alongside structured line work. Using this, we lead our viewers on a joint journey, partnering the All-New Himalayan with their own journey of self-discovery."

Matteo Alabiso — Design director, Droga5 London, part of Accenture Song, added: “What I love about this campaign is that it feels intuitive, it’s elemental, and it invites the viewer to decode it. Finding the perfect balance between clear messaging while maintaining an element of discovery was key. The viewer gets to experience the adventure first hand, leaving them wanting to take on a harsh journey that only the Royal Enfield Himalayan could take on.”

Shelley Smoler — Chief Creative Officer, Droga5 London, part of Accenture Song, commented: "The Royal Enfield Himalayan was inspired by the Himalayas, where every twist and turn is an unpredictable adventure waiting to unfold. And we thought, why not let everyone catch a glimpse of that epic ride? Whether you're looking at of our ads, checking the website, flipping through the brochures, or sporting the merch, it's like you're right there on that journey in the heart of the mountains. It's not every day you get to craft a campaign that packs a punch at every single touchpoint of the user's journey, and now that we’ve caught the bug, we want to make more."

Credits

Clients - ROYAL ENFIELD

Mohit Dhar Jayal - Chief Brand Officer

Adarsh Saxena - Global Brand Lead

Aiyappa Ponnappa - Brand Manager

Naomi Mitchell - Program Manager

Creative Agency - DROGA5

CCO - Shelley Smoler

Group Creative Director - Matt Hubbard

Creative Director - Ed Redgrave

Snr. Creative - Pete Giblin

Creative - Oscar Gierup, Cameron Turner-Lowe & Conor Hamill

Chief Strategy Officer - Damien Le Castrec

Planners - Aaron Harridge, Liv Francis Cornibert

Head of Design - Stephanie McArdle

Design Director - Matteo Alabiso

Designers - Anya Landolt, Julia Kuisma & Kateryna Kotikhina

Motion Designers - Mike O'Brien & Rob Wicksteed

Group Account Director - Josh Morgan

Account Director - Ben Allan

Head of Production - Peter Montgomery

Snr. Producers - Tom Falck & James Plaxton

Head of Studio - Tim Larke

In-House Editor (BTS) - Justin Stokes

Production Company - DIRTY ROBBER

Directors - Martin Desmond-Roe & Travon Free

DOP - David Markun

Editor - Nick Frew

Executive Producer - Mickey Meyer

Producer - Nicholas Veneroso

Post-Producer - Matt Roe

Business Affairs - Karen Forchione

TALENT

CS Santosh

Sunder Singh

Jesslina Nayyar

Noor Jahan

Narinder Samra (Voice over)

Local Production Company - ANGLES UNLIMITED INDIA

Producers - Kanika Raheja & Sumit Sharma

Assistant Director - Ateet Chatta

Production Managers - Anuj Singh & Gilbert Mascarenhas

Production Coordinators - Chandni Tyagi & Chintan Pandey

Location Manager - Odpal George

Location Coordinator - Stamba

Location Assistant - Noordeen

Sound Recordist - Debangshu Roy

Production Designer - Smriti Wadhwa

Art Assistant - Mudassir

Drone Operator (video) - Chirag Dhariwal

Drone Operator (stills) - Ashwin Raiturkar

Gimbal Operator - Manpreet Singh

Gimbal Assistant - Devender Kumar

Rig Operator - Shashi Kumar

Rig Assistant - Karan

1st AC - Yatendra Kumar

Focus Puller - Shubham Karn

DIT - Nayan Karmakar

Camera Attendant - Gokil Ram

Camera Attendant - Rahul Kumar

Gaffer - Manish Kumar

Stills team Chaperon - Abel

Photography - Puro Management

Achille Mauri - Photographer

Claudia Decaro - Photographer Assist.

Offline Edit - THE QUARRY

Scot Crane & Julian Tranquille - Editors

Richard Goodger - Assistant Editor

Tor Adams - Offline Producer

Post Production - ELECTRIC STUDIOS

Executive Producer - Ben Honour

Creatives - Geoff Parsons & Sam Tootal

Snr. Producer - Tom Bogda

AFX and AI Artists: Pavel Ivanov, Domhnall Malone

Edit: Kingsley Bailey

Grade - Electric Colour

Colourist - Connor Coolbear

Producer - Rosie Corbett

Sound Post Production - 750MPH

Snr. Sound Engineer - Mike Bovill

Head of Production - Olivia Ray

Snr. Producer - Carla Thomas

Music - Dirty Soup

Score Producer: Lorne Balfe

Composer: Kiley Norton

Music Supervisor: Raife Burchell